Let Love Flow Rewritten
by Crystal Draculura Bloodsucker
Summary: When Casper and Thatch accidentally get too close, they realize there might be something more than hate between them. WARNING: Yaoi, themes of death, cursing, Thatch/Casper: rated M for good reasons. Co-Written with KrymynalKrimzon. Reviews appreciated. Has been officially completed.
1. Unexpected Stroll

A/N: The beginning of the story starts with Thatch and Casper fighting over the badge for Scare Scouts.

A/N2: While this is a rewrite of Let Love Flow, it will be VERY different from the original. It'll be like a whole new story, so enjoy!

Chapter 1: Unexpected Stroll

"Thatch, give Casper your Damaric badge," Franken-gym-teacher ordered to the young vampire, who gave a look of disdain.

"Mine!?" He cried, his hands clutching the badge to himself.

"I forgot to order more." The lazy gym teacher shrugged, then moved forward over the small child, reassuring his authority over the students. Thatch felt a hiss leave him and he angrily marched over to the ghost boy, Casper- the bane is his existence at this rotten school. Casper didn't deserve this badge, he was no true monster. But Thatch handed his badge over to the ghost as ordered before he stomped away, his dark cloak billowing behind him as he disappeared into the shadows of the school- wishing to be nowhere near the other students, but with every step, he felt his anger grow.

Ra seemed rather happy with his friend's luck. "Congratulations Casper!" He said happily, patting Casper on the shoulder- or tried to as his hand went through the ghost boy at first. Casper corrected himself quickly- allowing Ra to rest a hand on his back as they both laughed.

"Looks like we're all going to the Jamboree after all," Mantha added joyfully. She didn't join in on all the touching- worried her hand would fall off again like it did that morning. Lately, it was just having such trouble staying on- maybe she should get it stitched on?

"Thanks, guys," Casper giggled softly, beaming with pride as he looked at his badge. What Casper didn't notice was the vampire had returned, fueled by anger and the need to not be beaten by the friendly ghost.

Thatch seemed to lunge out of the shadows themselves, giving a fright to Casper and his friends. "Give me back my badge Casper!" He yelled, trying to snatch it from the ghost's hands. The two fought, both believing they earned the badge fairly. As they wrestled it became clear that Thatch could not just pull the badge away, Casper had a firm stance on the ground, keeping him balanced, so to change that Thatch instead released the badge and tackled the ghost instead, knocking them both flat onto the dirt- nearly knocking into Mantha.

The zombie stumbled back and fell, her head popping off and rolling across the ground as it often does. Ra- being the helpful friend he was quickly moved and picked up the zombie head, carrying it back to her body- which was currently reaching out, searching for the missing piece.

As Ra helped the poor zombie girl Thatch and Casper wretched on the ground- and soon the badge was forgotten and laid in the dirt as they boys fought. The Gym Teacher turned a blind eye- he was lazy plus a little fight might toughen the friendly ghost up. He leads the other students back inside so they could go have their dinner in the cafeteria- leaving the 4 students outside to rough and tumble.

Before long Thatch had successfully pinned the ghost to the ground, his chest heaving with every breath- his black hair a mess from the fight, his cloak crooked, nearly falling off of his shoulders. Casper on the other hand- being a ghost he had no lungs, and therefore no way to suck in air, and generally no reason to breath. He knew he could probably sink into the ground- but he truly hated it. Walls were fine- you get past thoughts quick, but in the ground, it was damp, cold and dark. A bit too claustrophobic.

Casper willingly laid on the ground, watching the panting vampire on top of him. Casper stopped struggling, laying back on the ground- no wishing to fight. If Thatch wanted the badge so badly, fine. He still was allowed to go to the Jamboree now- his name would be added to the list and it would all be fine. The badge was only a physical representation that he was allowed to go, besides the list. The badge was only there as a little 'Oh here you did it so here is a reward'- something Casper personally didn't need.

The friendly ghost boy would easily escape, just go through Thatch or the ground, but he allowed himself to be pinned, to let the big bully have his way and win once more. If it made Thatch feel better- so why not? It wasn't like the ghost was getting hurt. There was stillness in the air as Ra and Mantha watched, unsure whether to step in to help their ghost friend or not.

"You always ruin things for me!" Thatch yelled.

"Sorry."

"Why are you such a pain?!"

"Sorry."

"You only get in the way!"

"Sorry."

"Stop saying sorry, you spineless ghost!" Thatch yelled in frustration, grabbing Casper by his shoulders and shaking him roughly. "You never do anything right, you always say sorry- can't you be just a normal ghost for once?"

Casper didn't know what to say to the enraged vampire. How was he to respond to such a thing? Be a normal ghost, well what was a normal ghost suppose to do?

All this over a badge? Even this seemed a bit much for Thatch. Casper uncomfortably shifted under the vampire, moving his gaze away He spotted the badge a small bit away on the ground. "Take it, I don't want it." He finally said. The ghost boy was starting to get uncomfortable- being under Thatch was rather odd and he disliked being shaken around like a ragdoll.

The vampire moved his violet eyes away from the other student, staring at the discarded badge. He made a face, his enlarged fangs showing as he almost hissed. "You're such a coward. Doing anything you can to avoid any fight." He said coldly. But in truth, Thatch stopped caring for the badge as well. He was becoming more interested in Casper, the Cowardly Ghost.

The way Casper always accepted his bullying- yet somehow remained smiling always bugged him. Did Casper not know the horrors of the world? How could he remain to be so kind in such awful times? Thatch had spent almost every day trying to make Casper's life hell- trying his damnedest to scare him and make him hate humans as monsters should! It was utterly infuriating. Casper shouldn't care for humans, only other monsters. Monsters were the only things with real hearts- that could care and protect each other.

Thatch's anger was slowly simmering, starting to cool off and he was able to think clearly once more. He released his grip on Casper's shoulders- much to the ghost's relief.

"Come on Thatch, lay off!" Mantha finally piped up, her eyes darting between the two, her brows furrowed together in worry. "Casper didn't do anything wrong."

Thatch almost scoffed, looking at the zombie with disinterest. Casper used this chance to sit up partially, trying to wiggle his way out from under Thatch. The vampire didn't stop him, so Casper went ahead and stood up, moving back to his friends. Ra quickly pushed Casper behind himself, as if he could defend the ghost from the aggressive violet eyed vampire.

"Whatever…" Thatch coldly said, walking away from the group. He forgot about the badge- which remained laying on the ground until Casper picked it up. He dusted the dirt off the object, a soft sigh escaping him despite his lack of lungs.

The friendly ghost looked back at his dear friends, his blue eyes filled with confusion. Normally he could understand Thatch's bullying and motives, but this time the motive really escaped him. He softly sighed and shrugged. "Let's head back to the school." Casper directed, and his friends obliged.

As they walked down the quiet stone hallways Casper kept looking the badge over, having mixed feelings about the whole situation. He really should return it to Thatch, he was a ghost and he didn't need physical items, but at the same time having something to call his own almost felt nice, but it wasn't his. Stealing wasn't something Casper would accept. Mantha parted ways to return back to her own dorm while Ra and Casper went into theirs. Thatch's coffin was closed- so Casper figured the vampire had gone to bed early.

Casper floated off the ground carefully- so his footsteps wouldn't make a sound. He went over to the coffin, carefully laying the badge on the lid before he went back to his own bed, climbing in and pulling the covers over him.

It was always awkward sleeping in the same room as all the other boys. Casper missed his nice big home where his 3 family members awaited him. He missed his big private room and his comfy bed with the heavier comforters which had always added a certain presence of comfort.

But he was in some stone room where bunk beds were everywhere (except for Ra's sarcophagus and Thatch's coffin). The thin blankets given didn't provide much comfort and none of it was comfortable.

In a way, Casper was willing to admit he was a tad jealous of Ra and Thatch with their personalized beds- but he also reminded himself that's where their type sleeps- which was disturbing in its own weird sense. Both items were meant for the dead, not sleeping.

Probably what was getting Casper the most was- most monsters were human at one point or another. Except for the obvious ones: Dummy Girl, Slither and of course Alder and Dash just for starts.

The point was Casper was curious about all monsters that were once human like he was. Did they remember their human life unlike him? How do they go from being humans and surely knowing something about how humans work, to believe their professor's crazy theories such as 'Scare Juice'?

Were the coffin and sarcophagus the same ones they were buried in? Or was Thatch ever really dead- didn't Vampires just turn when bitten? Who bit Thatch- who had the heart to change a child into a vampire and curse him into this monstrous life?

The blue-eyed ghost boy kept tossing and turning silently in his bed, having no real weight to his so-called body. Perhaps he could get some information if he was to just, look? He could look at Ra's sarcophagus any time- hell Ra would probably be able to answer any questions he had. But it was best to check out Thatch's coffin while the vampire was asleep- unaware.

So, the ghost child fazed through his mattress, letting the blanket lifelessly lay on the bed once more. Casper floated over to the coffin, his eyes darting around in the dark room. Everyone was fast asleep so he wasn't overly worried at the moment. He just had to be super quiet- which ghosts were really good at.

As he floated by the coffin he could see the badge he placed there still there, untouched. He still had mixed feelings about the whole fight. Thatch seem to really, really hate him or something strange. It was concerning really, and honestly Casper wondered if Thatch would explode like that anytime soon.

But he pushed it out of his mind and instead started to circle the coffin, squinting his eyes in the darkroom as he tried to look the dark object over. It was small, really meant for a child after all. The more he looked the more disturbing the whole thing got.

There was no markings on the outside, no name or date. The wood was a darker color and all the metal on the handles and hinges were black. Maybe this was just simply a bed, but why would Thatch want everything black? Didn't that vampire get sick of the color?!

A heavy sigh escaped the ghost and after a bit of talking himself into it, he carefully placed both hands on the side of the coffin, and with the utmost care, he let his head faze through the dark wood, just enough to look in.

Right away he saw the sleeping vampire- and he nearly jumped back even if he knew Thatch was in there. The frightened ghost carefully peered around inside the coffin, and much to his amusement the inside was not black like one would assume. It was instead lined with a dark velvety silk cushion all the way around. Guess if the coffin was to ever tumble Thatch wouldn't get too hurt. Another thing was Thatch didn't have a blanket like any of the other monsters, he was just laying as stiff as a dead body in the coffin- though that dark cloak he always wore was removed from its normal spot around his neck and instead placed over him as if to make a mock blanket.

If Thatch wanted a blanket, why didn't he ask? He knew the school surely had a scare blanket- hell he knew it. There were a few spare bunks in the room and they had blankets that were never used!

There wasn't too much else Casper could see; no personal pictures or anything. Thatch had a soft pillow cradling his head, and Casper swore he could see something under it. Dare he risk trying to take it? Should he though? It would be rude to look where he wasn't wanted.

He wasn't doing anything BAD per say, he just wanted to see Thatch's coffin while he could. He wasn't breaking any rules currently, but taking another person's property would be. He decided not to and studied the coffin further. The wood was smooth and well maintained so Thatch wouldn't get a splinter, and much to the ghost's amusement right above Thatch's head- on the lid of the coffin was a small dip where the cushion has been flattened- most likely from Thatch hitting his head on it from sitting up too fast. Thatch should get that restuffed before he hurts himself.

Nothing else could really be seen but before Casper decided to pull his head out of the coffin the vampire actually moved around in his death like sleep. Casper tensed and went really still- afraid any movement would wake the other monster.

The vampire's expression changed from it's calm, peaceful look (which was ever so rare to see) to one of discomfort. It was at that moment Casper realized how dumb he was- he was a ghost! Why risk being seen when he could just be invisible? He resisted to groan at himself and just turned invisible, saving himself the trouble.

It was a good thing he did so as well because Thatch had suddenly tensed and tried to sit right up in his bed, his head hitting that exact spot Casper had noted on the coffin lid.

Thatch hissed like an angry cat and placed a hand on his hurting forehead, his eyes slowly opening as he blinked back the tears of pain. Casper said nothing and watched, his invisible and intangible body simply hovering- halfway in and out of the coffin.

It was interesting to watch the vampire. There was no anger or the normal arrogance surrounding the vampire like this. In a way Casper was content to do this- to learn more about Thatch.

After the pain faded Thatch simply sighed heavily and laid back, keeping a hand on his forehead as if he was rubbing away the pain still. His violet eyes were on the lid of his coffin- and to Casper, it looked like the vampire was in deep thought. It wasn't more than a minute before Thatch moved again, pushing the lid up just barely and peering out. At this point, Casper moved out of the coffin and carefully circled around it- watching Thatch push the lid more and climb out, then shut it ever so silently behind him. He took about two steps before he stopped and hurried back to the coffin, reopening it and pulling his cape, or cloak out. Casper had no clue what to call it honestly.

As Thatch shut the coffin his eyes were darting around the room- and landed upon Casper's empty bed. The friendly ghost felt a pang of fear- but Thatch turned away, and instead noted the badge that had fallen off the lid when it had opened. He reached down and carefully picked it up, his brows furrowed in confusion as he turned it over then back. He then went over to Casper's bed, glancing around wearily before he placed it on the empty bed- then hurriedly left the room, trying not to make a sound.

Knowing he should go to bed Casper felt the pull to do the right thing. Obey the school rules, go to bed and ignore Thatch. He was already being bad- but where was the vampire going? It was curious, Casper never noticed Thatch snuck out at night. So, the ghost ignored his inner voice and instead followed the purpled eyed vampire. He wasn't hard to follow. Thatch was moving slow- peeking around corners to make sure the gargoyles that guarded the school wouldn't see him.

Before too long Thatch had made his way outside, simply walking along one of the many dirt paths the school had. He finally put the cloak on, carefully adjusting the oversized cowl so he could still see ahead of himself. The vampire seemed content with his nightly stroll, kicking a pebble along in front of him, his eyes downcast to the ground.

The air had a slight chill that was brought in with the breeze, but it never really bothered Casper. Yeah, he could get cold or hot- but it wasn't like he could sweat or freeze to death, so he ignored it easily. If anything he was more worried about Thatch- who actually had a body he needed to take care of. At night the Scare School was oddly peaceful. The large moon was overhead, partly covered by a few dark clouds. Looked like it might rain tomorrow.

The ghost kept looking back towards the school, wondering if he should turn back and just go to bed, but then he would hear Thatch's footsteps on the dirt and felt the need to follow even more; and so he did.

Thatch was just walking, not really paying mind to where he was going. Every once in awhile he would stop and look around to see if he was being followed. Every time, Casper felt his heart jump as Thatch's eyes passed over him- then Thatch would simply continue to walk until soon they were out in the forest that bordered the school. This seemed to be where Thatch wanted to end up because he stopped and sat under a tree, his back pressed against the cool bark.

He sighed softly and let his head rest back, his eyes closing as he relaxed in the open air. He looked peaceful once more like he could simply fall asleep out here.

Casper floated in front of Thatch, keeping invisible for the time being. He silently watched, leaning close and actually studying the vampire bully closely. His large fangs were pointed out of his mouth as always- and Casper figured one day Thatch would grow into them. He always thought vampire fangs never grew and they merely had to grow into those things- but for now, Thatch was stuck with a rather silly, yet scary look. Those sharp teeth weren't something anyone wanted to mess with- seeing as the vampire once bit the corner off of a bench just to scare the other students.

Thatch's pale skin seemed even more so in the moonlight- and the dark clothes he wore gave a stark contrast. His black hair was slightly messed up from his short-lived sleep that night. Casper watched as Thatch brought his hand up from his side, fiddling with the bat clasp on his cloak, but not taking it off. He was just running his thumb over the smooth metal- almost like he was soothing himself by doing so.

It reminded him of those smooth stones Jimmy told him about once. It was just a nice smooth stone people ran their thumb over when they got nervous or upset- Jimmy even showed him one his mom had gotten. Casper didn't quite understand it, but if it worked then that's what mattered.

With the night oddly peaceful Casper was starting to feel more relaxed- almost at peace with the vampire. Course, none of this mattered. This peace meant nothing because Thatch thought he was alone. But even then Casper didn't mind. Thatch clearly wasn't a scary and heartless monster. No, even the big bully Thatch couldn't sleep sometimes and had to go on walks. Even the vampire could look peaceful, tired and unprofessional with his hair all ruffled up. It made him seem more… human.

Casper sat in front of Thatch, finally touching the ground once more. He watched the vampire sigh, his eyes slowly opening as he looked up towards the sky. It was then Casper felt a change. Thatch's eyes were so calm and full of peace, the violet color a great contrast to the rest of the vampire. Thatch looked so different- and perhaps a bit attractive- no surely that wasn't the correct thing to say.

Thatch just looked… Casper couldn't think of the word. But he couldn't bring himself to fear the vampire like this. It was peaceful and Thatch seemed far too normal to ever be scary.

It was hard to tell exactly how much time passed with no clock, but when the sky started to become lighter Thatch rose from his spot and dusted himself off, a heavy sigh escaping his pale lips. He then moved his hands up, running them through his hair and brushing it back into its classical style. Then, rather suddenly he turned into a bat and quickly flew towards the school, entering through one of the windows and simply disappearing from sight- though through the entire flight Thatch had kept close to the ground. Casper knew Thatch was probably just heading back to the dorm so no one knew he was out, but it felt empty now.

The peaceful night was over, and so was the calmed Thatch. Casper almost had hoped the night wouldn't have ended- but that was impossible. So, the invisible ghost boy went back to the dorm as well, but instead of going to his bed he instead went into Ra's sarcophagus. He didn't even bother to look, any questions about the object had been pushed out of his mind.

He became tangible and visible, placing his hand over Ra's mouth which woke his mummy friend up rather quickly. It was a bit cramped in the child-sized sarcophagus, but Casper ignored it.

"Shhh!" He said quickly to Ra. Ra's muffled words stopped and he silently looked up with a confused look in his eyes, willing to just listen. "Thatch snuck out last night and I followed." Casper gingerly explained as he removed his hand. Ra shifted, pushing himself further back to make some room in the dark space.

"Casper you can't scare me like that," Ra scolded at first, but then grinned and looked excited. "So Thatch snuck out? Tell me what happened. Did he break the rules? Maybe we can get some revenge on him." The mummy explained happily. Casper just shook his head.

"Nothing like that, he did nothing. But Ra… I have a question- and you got to be completely truthful."

"Yeah sure, what is it?"

"Is it possible for a boy to like another boy? Is that normal?" He gingerly asked, recoiling away as if he was expecting something bad to happen. Ra didn't yell but instead looked really thoughtful, thinking hard over the question.

"Well, I don't know. I suppose Mantha will though, she's really smart. Let's sneak in and ask her."

"I can do it, I won't get caught." Casper nodded, grinning widely. Oh, course Ra was right, Mantha was amazingly smart! So with a small wave goodbye, Casper floated out of the sarcophagus and out of the room. As he entered the girl's dorm he turned invisible- seems he was doing that a lot that night.

The girl's dorm was nearly identical, nothing much to look at. He went over to Mantha's bed and tugged off her blanket, giving the zombie a big start. She sat up, eyes wide and not landing on anything. But Casper silently took her hand and gently pulled. Being the only ghost in the school was nice because she seemed to know right away it was him- as it was the only logical answer. Mantha followed Casper's tugging and entered the hallway, shutting the dorm room behind herself.

"Casper, you'll get us in trouble. We're not supposed to be up for what, another hour?" She whispered.

"I'm sorry but Ra and I need an answer. Is it normal or possible for two guys to like or become attracted to each other?" He repeated as he becomes visible for her sake. Mantha for some reason seemed excited.

"Well, course it's possible Casper. Oh, I'm so glad you and Ra are that close-"

"Wait wait no, it's not between me and Ra." Casper quickly shushed her, his face becoming a deeper red shade- which was so painfully obvious to see due to his snow-white exterior. Mantha seemed a bit taken back, but then nodded.

"Well yeah Casper, it's possible. It's… A bit unusual perhaps but nothing's wrong with that… And who are you talking about?" She wouldn't deny she was curious. Who wouldn't be?

Casper couldn't ignore his friend so he sighed and looked down. "I… Thatch?" He said it as if he was almost questioning himself on the whole topic. He wasn't saying he was in love or anything, but last night he simply had to admit Thatch was looking rather attractive in the moonlight. No one could deny that, right?

"... We WILL talk in the morning. Go to bed before we get in trouble." Was all Mantha said before she turned away. Casper felt conflicted, but did as told and returned to his own room. Maybe things would make more sense tomorrow.


	2. Midnight Embrace

Chapter 2: Midnight Embrace

The next day was oddly normal and it was driving Casper insane.

Everyone had woken up, like normal.

Everyone got ready, like normal.

Nothing was said about the badge placed back on his bed, like normal.

All the classes were boring, like normal.

And Thatch was bullying other students, like normal!

Mantha hadn't brought up anything from that morning, and neither had Ra. They were just doing everything like they did every day. By lunchtime, Casper was impatient and much to his own dislike, a bit angry. So when Ra, Mantha, and himself sat down- alone for the first time that day he almost immediately brought it up.

"About last night," He started.

"Oh right, Mantha did you know?" Ra lightly chuckled, poking at his rather gross looking lunch. The mummy turned hopefully to the zombie who nodded, glancing at Casper and Ra.

"Well yeah. The answer is it's completely fine for two boys to like each other…" She carefully said. "Like I said last night, not exactly normal but nothing's wrong with that," she drew out slowly, her eyes wandering around the cafeteria before they landed on Thatch, who was currently pushing Mosshead around simply for being in his way it seemed. She hated that vampire so much, what an awful bully! She scoffed and looked back to Casper. "Tell Ra." She almost ordered.

"Tell me what?" The mummy asked, contently sipping on his drink, feeling rather happy he and Casper had gotten their answer in the first place. They could always rely on Mantha to answer their questions.

"I… Well, when I asked Mantha last night she asked why while I asked…" Casper carefully spoke, watching Thatch in a much different light than Mantha. When he was watching, Mosshead had spilled something onto Thatch's cloak while carrying his tray, and Thatch was very angry about it, then fussing over his cape as he used several napkins to try to remove the gross school food so it won't stain- after he, of course, pushed Mosshead for doing it in the first place. "... And to be truthful, I really don't know an exact answer, but I asked the question with… him in mind." Casper couldn't exactly bring himself to utter Thatch's name, but Ra understood by simply following the other's gaze.

Ra admittedly made a face, his nose scrunched up in distaste. "Him? That's why you asked? I don't get it…" He muttered. Casper shrugged and looked away from the vampire, instead feeling rather guilty as he watched Mantha and Ra.

"Casper, can you explain last night at all?" Mantha started simply, knowing this could have only happened after the fight. Everything had been perfectly normal the day before.

"Well, I can't explain," Casper said, wanting to avoid the topic. But the gazes from his friends were peer pressure enough to talk. "I followed him when he snuck out out the school and when he was alone he was just… Well I dunno, he was just peaceful? He wasn't acting all big and bad, he was just taking a stroll and relaxing? It made him seem nicer- more human?"

"More human?" Ra laughed, setting his drink down. "Thatch is nothing like a human. I doubt he could ever be like a human!"

"But he was a human once, and he still looks like a human." Casper defended.

The trio looked back over at Thatch- who by now was settled at his normal table with his friends. Mosshead was sitting beside Thatch even, though he was much more careful with his food now, not wishing to anger the vampire again.

"I mean- well geez. I guess I never thought about Thatch being human." Ra admitted with a sigh. All vampires had to be human at some point in their lives, right? He poked at his lunch, no longer seeming hungry. "I wonder what he was like when he was human."

"I bet he was a bully then too," Mantha said coldly.

"Oh come on, I don't think he was like this his whole life…" Ra pondered. "Now that you mention it, Casper, I am curious…"

"See, I knew I couldn't be the only one!" Casper felt relief to have at least one of his friends on his side, to understand what he was thinking and to work through his problems. Mantha seemed slower to be understanding, but she was coming around to the thought that maybe Thatch wasn't always such a big bully, even if she still didn't seem pleased.

"I doubt he could ever be peaceful like you described, besides what does this all matter? He hates us anyways." She grumbled, eating, unlike the two boys.

"True, very true. So Casper what's your plan?"

"Plan? What plan?" He quickly asked, looking at the mummy. "I have no plan, it was just… I dunno…" He muttered, quickly coming up with something on the spot. "I guess if I need to have a plan is… If he sneaks out tonight I'll follow him?"

"And?"

"Maybe… Maybe I'll try to talk to him?" He weakly offered. Mantha seemed content with that.

"Let's just hope he doesn't bite you," Ra muttered.

"Last time he did that Thatch bit his own tongue. Thatch can't hurt Casper. Hell, I bet Casper can get away with anything he wants if he actually acts like a ghost." Mantha remarked. It kinda hurt to hear Mantha say that, but it was true. He never acted like a 'real' ghost, but of course, neither did his family. They were all rather shapeless compared to other ghosts, who actually looked like humans.

The ghostly trio had always said it was because those ghosts remembered what they looked like while alive. If a ghost forgot they had no form to take- which is why Casper looked like a sweet little marshmallow with very little shape- only a basic human figure.

"I guess we'll see what happens tonight… Knock em dead." Ra grinned, but it only made Casper's heart sink more. He was going to be in for a long night…

That night, when it was past curfew and everyone was in bed Casper laid restless, keeping his eyes closed but listening carefully. As the sound of soft, even breathing filled the room he carefully cracked his eyes open, peering around. He did a head count, assuring everyone was fast asleep. Now, he just had to see if Thatch snuck out nightly or if it was just a random occurrence.

The wait felt unbearable. It dragged out for what seemed like forever and it was maddening, but after an eternity, Casper caught sight of Thatch's coffin lid slowly opening. The vampire peered out and the ghost boy shut his eyes tightly, pretending to be asleep. He listened, hearing the sound of Thatch climbing out, the shutting of the lid, then the footsteps leaving the dorm- and once again a peaceful silence filled the room.

Casper quickly turned invisible and followed Thatch as he did the night before, watching the vampire take the same route to get outside once more. Casper smiled and closely followed, floating just above the ground. This time traveling to the forest seemed more calming than the night before, and he didn't feel the pull to return back to bed. The ground was a bit moist, it had rained while they were in class. But the sky was clear tonight, the clouds having rained until they were nothing.

As Thatch walked into the forest Casper smiled and kept close- ducking behind trees even if there was no real need to. He just really didn't want to get caught yet. He was afraid if he showed himself Thatch would return to being a big fat jerk!

It was so much nicer like this. Thatch's hair wasn't all slicked back, his gaze was calmer and his shoulders were slumped down. It was almost like he was a whole different vampire. Someone who could relax and enjoy the chilled air and the welcoming moonlight.

Under the trees, the ground was drier which allowed Thatch to sit down and not get his clothes all dirty. Casper smiled and watched the vampire contently. The violet-eyed student sighed as he stretched and smiled, pulling something from the inside of his cape. Casper recognized it as the thing- whatever it was that had been under Thatch's pillow back in his coffin.

The ghost boy carefully floated over, keeping his hands close to his chest as he peered at the object, and to his confusion, he saw… a family photo.

A mother was smiling and in her arms, she held a bundle of blankets- and in which laid a small baby. Her black hair was pulled back tightly into a bun, out of her face and away from the baby's grasp- for good reasons any parent would know. The father was smiling proudly, his arm wrapped around his wife. His white hair was gelled back- in a similar fashion to what Thatch does nowadays. The picture was terribly old, black and white and age has gotten to it with the corners being ripped and fading.

They wore old clothes from what Casper could tell. The father in a nice, tailored suit with a cloak, and the mother a nice victorian dress with fine jewelry and the like. They all seemed so happy and close, big smiles on their faces. The baby boy seemed to be fast asleep in the picture, clutching onto the blankets.

Thatch softly sighed, looking at the picture with a smile. His eyes seemed to linger on the man, and his expression turned to something Casper never seen on the vampire, a deep look of mourning, unresolved and left to fester like a disease. There was an array of emotions in those violet eyes, from hate to something to the look of a lost, confused child with no one to look up to.

The vampire turned his gaze from the picture and instead looked up at the sky, his lip trembling as he tried to keep the tears that were building up. "Happy Turning Day… and Death Day, dad…" He softly muttered as he gazed up at the sky. When the tears started to fall he swiftly unclasped his cape and stood up, walking away from it so none of his acid tears touched it. He moved away, softly sobbing in the ever so silent forest. He didn't bother to cover his eyes or hide it, he was supposed to be alone in the eerily silent forest and he rather not ruin his clothes, lest everyone would have a chance of finding out.

Casper worriedly watched, reaching out for a moment before he remembered he couldn't be seen anyways. The ghost wanted to hug the vampire- and he was probably the only one that could without getting burned by those horrid acid tears. He watched the vampire cry, leaning against a tree, his palms pressed to the bark so the tears just flowed off his face and didn't burn any holes in his clothes, instead the tears sizzled loudly as they touched the ground. To see Thatch cry was a rare and dangerous sight- vampires were scary no matter what their emotions seemed to be.

After a few moments, Casper decided he needed to be brave. He let his feet touch the ground and be became visible. He then cleared his throat, causing a start from the vampire- but Thatch didn't look his way, as if he was now just trying to hide his face. He turned his back more, trying to use his hands to dry his eyes.

"Go away! I'll bite you!" He hissed dangerously. This threat felt truly hollow- the vampire was in no position to fight.

"There's no need to yell, we don't want to get caught." Casper gingerly reminded. Upon hearing the actual voice Thatch turned around slightly, his eyes landing on the ghost.

"YOU." He hissed. "Just go away you stupid ghost, no one wants you around." He said coldly.

"I can't leave."

"Well, why not?"

"You're crying. I can't leave someone crying alone in the woods." He carefully spoke, trying to keep things calm. He would admit he was sad that Thatch was being so hostile, but it was only natural for the vampire to be so. Casper walked over, his blue eyes intensely watching the crying vampire. "The best way to stop tears is to hug it out." He offered. Thatch recoiled in disgust.

"Get away! I don't need no stupid hug, I'll bite you!" He threatened once more, his threats repeating himself as he moved away, more desperate for space than anything. He kept rubbing his eyes, trying to stop the acid tears.

"You can't bite me, and it's fine to just… cry and let it out? I won't get hurt, and it's ok to just try it. If you really hate it you can never do it again." Casper insisted, holding his arms out towards the vampire, smiling kindly. "Come on, Thatch."

"This is dumb…" Thatch grumbled, his eyes narrowed in distrust. The ghost was stubborn, keeping his arms wide and welcoming. Silent, intense moments passed and Thatch started to fidget awkwardly, trying to look anywhere besides the ghost before the silence seemed to get to him. He hissed angrily, and slowly he started to walk over to Casper. "You'll tell the whole school, this is some sort of prank. I bet Martha and Ra are watching with a camera or something."

" No no," Casper said quickly, "It's just us out here. Only us, you can even look around but… what happens here can be a secret. Us sneaking out of bed, the picture, the hug I'll keep it all a secret… I'm good at that." He wanted to reassure the vampire it was all ok, and in Thatch's weak state he seemed to be caving in.

The vampire awkwardly moved, sniffling softly as fresh tears still flowed down. Casper was all too used to hugging and moved closer to Thatch, letting his arms wrap around the vampire's torso as he pulled his partly see-through body close to the vampire's. Casper could feel the tears simply fall through him as if they were nothing, but he kept tangible only to Thatch himself, keeping him nice and close.

Thatch still felt awkward, unsure of where to put his arms, so Casper simply guided Thatch to have them around him, then hovered up off the ground so their heights worked better together. Thatch allowed his head to rest on the ghost boy's shoulder, softly sniffling as he tried to calm himself.

Casper didn't feel the need to talk, and instead, let Thatch slowly adjust to the hug and calm himself. The vampire seemed to soak up the affection faster than the ghost thought. Thatch had changed ever so swiftly in the span of a minute. He had all but melted into the hug, hiding his face in the crook of the ghost's neck, shutting his eyes tightly. His grip tightened on Casper, pulling the smaller male close. It seemed to be working as Casper noted the waterworks had stopped and Thatch had calmed down.

"I don't get it…" Thatch spoke after a while, but his grip on the ghost did not loosen. The vampire was soaking up the affection like a dying man in the desert would guzzle down water.

"What don't you get?" Casper kindly asked, nuzzling closer to Thatch like a small kitten, gently smiling. From being so close he could take in more of Thatch. Without that oversized cowl Thatch wore he seemed much smaller, and without the flowing dark cloak that was attached, he didn't seem nearly as scary. Thatch also had a certain scent- it was odd and hard to define. Casper couldn't put his finger on what exactly the scent was, but he had never noticed it before when he was around Thatch- course they had never really been this close.

"... I don't get why you're out here and why this is happening…" The vampire muttered. "Did you follow me? For how long?" He decided to start with.

Casper nodded and softly sighed. "I noticed last night you left, and so I followed you then… And I waited for you to leave tonight. I really don't know why so don't ask more on that… I just felt the need to, and I'm glad I did… Thatch, why are you out here all alone?" It was Casper's turn to ask questions.

"Why I'm out here?" Thatch repeated simply. He shifted and at first Casper thought he was letting go so he started to do so, but Thatch then only held onto him tighter, keeping the ghost boy close. "I wanted some fresh air, it's hard to sleep at night… Vampires are supposed to sleep during the day, not night; I mean duh, we're nocturnal monsters. I know not a lot of monsters in this school are nocturnal, so being one of the few that is is terribly troublesome."

"That's not the answer I wanted. What are you doing out HERE, in the forest?" He pressed for answers.

"... The forest reminds me of home." Thatch sighed. "My family lives in this castle hidden in the woods, far far away from here." He glanced off. "It's peaceful there, a simple life. The nearby town is enough for us to survive on without worry of ever starving, and with us living so deep in the forest. My mom and I are happy there."

"... Just your mom and you?" Casper asked carefully. Thatch didn't seem to want to answer that in the slightest for he pulled back, and Casper quickly shook his head. "Wait never mind, I won't ask." He corrected himself- besides it was the vampire's turn to ask a question.

Thatch sighed, and seeming content with there being no pressure to answer continued to hold onto the ghost, through his eyes kept nervously darting around the woods, waiting for Ra to pop out with a camera. But such thing never happened.

"Ok, you said you followed me out here just because… But why are we hugging?" Thatch grumbled, but he wasn't letting go so Casper rolled his eyes and smiled. What a fussy vampire- it was actually cute.

"Because it looked like you needed one. You were crying- and unlike anyone else, in this school, I can actually hug you." He contently answered. That seemed like a reasonable enough answer and Thatch seemed to just accept it, nodding in understanding. It was then Thatch let Casper go since he was no longer crying. He turned away, seeming unsure of what to do with the vampire.

Casper could still tell the vampire needed to hug more or soak up any sort of affection, the way his eyes kept darting back- but instead, Thatch turned away and returned back to the tree where he picked up his discarded cape. He dusted it off and put it back on, carefully closing the bat clasp before he sat down and pulled the photo back out.

Casper walked over to the vampire's side and sat down beside him- and Thatch didn't recoil or seem to mind. Casper could see Thatch tilt the picture away, wanting to hide it from the ghost- but it didn't matter because Casper had already seen it.

"My turn… What's that picture?" He asked.

Thatch chuckled lightly, and after a moment turned it back so Casper could see it again. "It's my family… This is right after I was born, mom was so happy. See she was worried she lost me…"

"Why?" Casper carefully asked.

"Well… My dad turned into a vampire so he also turned my mom so they would always be together, but the thing is she was still pregnant with me. They were scared I wouldn't survive the pregnancy or if I was already dead due to my mom's turning… But I was born as a living vampire… I guess you don't know what that means." He sighed and Casper only nodded. "Figured, it's not exactly common. A living vampire happens when… well, what happened to me really, no other way to do it honestly. The mother has to be turned while carrying a child. We living vampires can walk out in sunlight without getting burned, and our tears are acid, unlike normal vampires. Other than that we're very similar, exact we don't just drink blood, we can drink almost anything and eat normal food- though we don't exactly get enough nutrition from such things. Blood is our life source so I still have to rely on that." He explained simply.

"... I see…" Well, that explained an awful lot, and Casper was feeling a bit better to be learning more about Thatch. Many of his questions were being answered this night! Casper gently smiled and chuckled. "Ok, your turn." He playfully nudged Thatch. The vampire seemed confused, but then he smiled a big toothy grin.

"So that's what we're doing? Ok fine." He laughed. "Ok let me think.." He sighed and leaned back against the tree. "So… You know a bit about my life… Tell me… Gah got to phrase this as a question. What was your human life like?" He asked in return.

Casper sat still and couldn't really bring himself to look at Thatch. He kept looking around the empty forest, trying for the millionth time to remember, but as always nothing came. "I don't know…"

"You what?"

"I don't know Thatch… I have no memory of my human life. All I remember is waking up and being a ghost- that's where my life started. I only remember a few small things…" He softly muttered. "I… I remember it was winter, so long ago," Casper started, staring far off into the dark forest. "It was freezing out but I was having so much fun out in the snow. I stayed out until it got dark, and then I started to get cold… All I know is I got sick…" He muttered. Thatch intensely watched the ghost before he nodded.

"I see… your turn." He nudged Casper, trying to keep the air nice and cheery as the ghost boy had made it before.

Casper smiled and looked back to Thatch instead of the dark forest. "Ok well… Why do you care about your cloak so much? I saw you flip out on Mosshead today over it." Casper knew he struck a sour chord when Thatch made the same expression he had when gazing at that photo, but after a moment his expression relaxed and he nodded, accepting the question. It was only fair- he asked Casper a personal question and Casper asked one back.

"I have two cloaks, one I wear when we go out into town or are doing something messy in classes, and then my favorite cloak… No one can ever tell the difference thankfully but today I wore my favorite cloak, it's a special day today so..." He made a motion to the article of clothing that was draped across his shoulders. "It's… It belonged to my dad. My mom was careful and trimmed down the long cloak so it fit me instead, so I can always keep a piece of him with me… I miss him…" Thatch softly admitted, fiddling around with his cloak nervously.

Casper watched the vampire, his eyes scanning the cloak. That could explain why the cowl was so large- far too large for a child. "It looks good on you." Casper complemented. Thatch glanced at Casper, a faint smile gracing his lips.

"Tonight will be kept a secret, promise?"

"Under one condition…" Casper started, then quickly finished before Thatch could worry. "We do this more often- tomorrow night even… You can keep bullying me in the day if you want but… At nighttime, I want to do this again."

"... Alright." Thatch agreed. "We should head back before we get caught, come on marshmallow boy." He grinned and stood up, offering his hand to Casper.


	3. Admire From Afar

Chapter 3: Admire From Afar

Casper felt as light as air the next day, and it wasn't just because he was a ghost. When he rose from his bed he was feeling lively, a big smile plastered on his face. The badge Thatch had returned was now hidden under his pillow, safe and sound where no other student could see. He didn't need anyone asking questions about who won that fight after all.

Ra was slow to get out of his bed, lifting up the heavy lid and crawling out- looking like he got no sleep at all. This did not deter the friendly ghost at all who floated over, smiling widely and as active as the sun is bright. "Good morning Ra! Come on let's go get Mantha and head down for breakfast." He chimed.

Ra tiredly looked at Casper, looking more like a zombie than a mummy in his current state- Mantha would be proud probably. "Uuugh… Casper tone it down by like, 99%." He muttered as he crawled in way out of his bed. Ra tightened one of the loosening bandages on his wrist, then rubbed his tired eyes- mindlessly following the ghost out of their dorms. Casper wanted to get out of there in a hurry, really not knowing what to do if he ended up meeting Thatch during the day. For now, it was best to just avoid the situation. So after rounding Mantha up from the girl's dorm, they all headed down, getting their breakfast and swiftly sitting at their table before any other student even arrived.

"So, how did it go?" Mantha asked the overly excitable ghost. Ra- who was finally waking up seemed more excited.

"Oh right, yeah! I stayed up almost all night keeping an eye out for when you and Thatch returned, I guess I fell asleep though…"

"You stayed up waiting for us?" Casper raised an invisible brow at the mummy, who shrugged.

"I wanted to make sure you didn't get mauled. Even as a ghost you let Thatch push you around so I got worried." He defended. Casper smiled gently and shook his head. Sometimes he felt just really lucky to have friends, honestly, they were just the best.

"Well, thank you, Ra. But everything was fine." He started. "I gave him a bit of a start at first but… It worked out really… really well. He was… Well, I guess you both want the whole story?" Casper looked at them both, who nodded. Casper didn't feel like giving them all the really personal details- he had made a promise to Thatch. But lying to his friends would hurt. He will be careful with his words then. "Thatch was going into the forest to just- calm down?" Yes, that sounded good. "I kinda just appeared behind him and he was startled, but he really wasn't getting mad… I… It's hard to explain but in the end, we just sat down and talked."

"About what?" Ra pressed. Casper just shook his head. "Oh come on you can't keep this a secret from us."

"I have to. I promised Thatch…"

"I bet Thatch won't keep that promise. He's an awful bat- watch he'll use whatever happened last night against you." Mantha remarked coldly.

"N-no he won't… Watch today he'll be different!" Casper had no clue if that was true, in fact, he doubted it. They were only truced in the moonlight…

Casper went with his dear friends to their first class with a heavy heart, worry spreading through him like a poison. Mantha was probably right, Thatch wouldn't change. He'll be an awful bully as ever, but Casper just still had a hard time seeing it now. Those fangs no longer held any bite behind them. The ghost boy sighed as he sat at his normal desk, his mind wandering away from the classroom, and instead he stared out the window. He could barely see the forest from here, but it was enough to make him smile.

As class started Casper's mind drifted back and forth from his studies to the forest, then occasionally he'll catch a quick glance at Thatch. He didn't want to look often, he didn't need to get caught looking at the class bully.

The vampire hadn't once looked over at the ghost, not that Casper could tell. He was just taking notes for class, seeming focused on his studies as he always was. His hair was nice and brushed back, the white stripes adding such a contrast- it was quite interesting. His violet eyes were flicking from the teacher's notes on the chalkboard down to his notebook, carefully writing down the information he deemed important. Something about Thatch just seemed so… Calm and controlled, elegant in its own way. Casper never really thought about it before, but Thatch was supposedly very old, vampires age terribly slowly.

So with that in mind Thatch must have lived through a bunch of different time periods, right? In the family photo the style was so old, ancient and studied in the human's textbooks Jimmy had shown him.

Casper kept looking at the things Thatch was writing, well not exactly what he was writing; more like the way he wrote. A lot of the students had personalized writing tools, special grips and things like that on their pens. But Thatch instead had a fountain pen. Yes it was a bit modern with the ink inside, but the way Thatch always seemed to pause- it was like he was far too used to dipping a quill into an inkwell. His Calligraphy was ancient as well, the long strokes of the letters, all the extra details added to every letter that served no purpose other to look good- maybe that's why Thatch was so selective about the information he wrote down. His handwriting took great detail and time to do, and it was a bit entrancing to watch.

The ghost boy had to keep reminding himself to take his own notes. His mind was everywhere but his lessons, to the forest where secrets were told, to the strange vampire that sat in his class. The day was going to be long, especially if Thatch was going to bully Casper today. But so far, things were oddly peaceful. Thatch wasn't yelling at anyone, not even his own gang. It seemed to be freaking Dummy Girl because she kept whispering to Slither, casting glances over at the vampire.

Slither, on the other hand, seemed unfazed with everything as normal. He seemed mostly concerned with making sure Mosshead was awake and taking notes.

It was odd, now that Casper was slowing down and just watching he was noticing things about Thatch and his gang he had never bothered to think about. How did their social structure work in that group? Unlike Casper and his friends who were all equal, it was known Thatch was their leader and was really pushy. What did they do when Thatch was gone? How would they react if Thatch became weak and did not want to be a leader? Were they friends or followers- and did Thatch tell him the same secrets that they had shared together in the peaceful moonlight?

Internally Casper truly wished they had no clue about Thatch. He wanted their secrets to be there, the words spoke in the night only to be known by them alone- even if that sounded awfully selfish. Casper also understood he had no right to keep such secrets and wish none other knew, Thatch could tell anyone he wanted to about himself but… Last night was special and peaceful, just them.

Perhaps he was growing a crush on Thatch- and Mantha said such things were normal so he shouldn't worry about it. But the question that was more haunting than anything was- did Thatch have any sort of feeling for Casper besides resentment? Such answers couldn't be answered in the day… So Casper turned his gaze away and back to his own notes- well he tried to. He could feel someone watching him and when he looked back up Ra had this big, knowing smile.

"Shush…" Casper gently smiled and nudged Ra, who silently laughed and shook his head, playfully nudging the ghost boy in return.

As the blue-eyed boy lifted his head, turning away from Ra, he saw those violet eyes staring directly at him. They narrowed distrustfully, silently passing unjust judgment on Casper. The ghost felt his heart sink- realizing that Thatch was thinking. Thatch thought he and Ra were laughing about him… Did Thatch really think Casper would tell- well of course he did. Thatch doesn't trust the ghost boy, but it pained him to see him look so… hurt.

Yes, there was distrust and regret in this violet eyes, but also a tinge of sadness- truly believing the friendly ghost had stabbed him in the back. Casper wished to go to Thatch and explain- but the class was not even halfway over, and before he could mouth anything to the vampire- wishing to plead for him to not jump to conclusions the vampire abruptly turned away, his oversized cowl hiding his face now.

Ra looked just as distressed as Casper did. The mummy kept sitting up in his seat, trying to peer around to see what Thatch was doing now, but there was no use. They couldn't see anything from their seats. Ra gave a pained look to Casper, then towards the clock. They would have to wait class out and try to stop Thatch before he left…

The class droned on, and the pair were getting overly impatient. Casper was glad Ra seemed just as nervous as him, the mummy's brown-colored eyes kept moving over to the vampire with worry. Ra's normally bad handwriting was worse than ever- honestly, where did Ra learn to write?! Oh, wait, English was still a bit new to the mummy… Right.

Casper sighed heavily, resting his arms on the desk as he tried to prevent himself from moving around in his seat like a fussy kitten. Ra was sitting abnormally still instead as if his joints has gone stiff all of a sudden. He sat up straight, his hand still taking notes while the other awkwardly rested in his lap- his whole stance was as awkward as Casper was feeling. Mantha, on the other hand, had no clue what was going on between Casper and Thatch, but she did take note that Ra and Casper weren't acting themselves.

Because of the 2 people per table seating rule she was beside Quasi. She had a look of confusion, trying to focus on her notes but watching her undead friends in their internal distress. She wouldn't deny that it was amusing to see the boys in such a confusing state of distress. She figured it would pass of course, as all things should. Casper's crush would surely fade and things would return to normal.

When the bell ending the class rang Casper was quick to stand, about to just leave his belongings and go to Thatch, but he stopped himself when he saw the vampire was surrounded by his lackeys. There was no way to get Thatch along with Dummy Girl, Slither and Mosshead following him around like lost puppies. It was annoying, to say the least- but the blue-eyed boy knew he would get his chance… If Thatch snuck out tonight.

Ra could only offer a weak, worrying smile to the ghost as they packed their stuff, joining Mantha by the door as they continued to their next class.

Casper could already tell this was going to be a horribly long, painful day.

The minutes dragged on forever, and every second was like an eternity. Casper had waited and watched, going to class after class, unable to focus on any of his lessons. He skipped lunch as well, just sitting at the table and trying not to stare at the vampire- it was hard not to.

Thatch was once again bullying Wolfie, shoving the werewolf to the ground which sent his tray all over the floor. "Out of the way mutt!" He laughed cruelly and walked by, his gang sticking their noses up and ignoring the whimpering pooch. It was only after Thatch left that Casper went over and helped the whimpering monster.

"I'm sorry that happened…" The ghost muttered, not really feeling like his kind self when guilt filled him.

"Oh it's ok Casper- I think I'm getting used to it, just thank you for helping." The wolf boy grinned, his tail a mere blur behind himself- which upset some of the nearby students due to the flying fur. "I wonder what's eating him though, normally he does a lot worse…" Casper could only weakly nod, his gaze going towards the cafeteria door as Thatch and his group of lackeys left. He was keeping them annoyingly close today. Seems he really will be forced to wait until that night.

At curfew Casper was promptly in bed, the thin blanket pulled over his translucent body. He felt annoyed when it took forever for everyone else to finally climb in bed. Wouldn't they just shut up and go to bed already, he had things to do!

When the lights flicked off he waited, a deep frown pressed to his lips as he just laid there in wait, his eyes searching the dark room. He strained, trying to hear everyone's breathing to see when they all fell into their peaceful sleep. That felt like it took hours when it was most likely 20 minutes tops.

Then he was forced to wait more, to see if Thatch was even going to get out of his coffin and go for a walk tonight. Maybe the vampire wouldn't? Would Thatch be avoiding the ghost boy- surely not? If anything Thatch- THE Thatch, the big school bully would rather fight and get back at Casper.

He was tempted to just, fly into Thatch's coffin like he had done to Ra- but that was beyond rude and a breach of the very, very frail trust that had just started to build between the two. So, he watched. He shifted silently in his bed, his big blue eyes resting upon the darkly colored coffin.

Sure enough- the lid opened and Thatch carefully climbed out like he done for two nights now. He shut the lid, and without even a glance towards Casper or his bed, he left the door silently. Casper eagerly left his bed, phasing through the walls and turning invisible, having to remind himself that this was breaking the rules- even if it was so worth it.

The ghost followed- and he couldn't help but notice Thatch kept stopping and look behind himself as if waiting. Casper had a feeling Thatch was waiting for him, it was almost nice to think the vampire wanted him to follow. The vampire seemed to plan out his every move carefully. Check a hallway, duck into the shadows, listen for any sound, then repeat. It was like Thatch was used to sneaking out- how often did Thatch sneak out!?

Casper smiled and followed his fellow monster out of the old castle, floating just above the ground as he followed Thatch on the ever so familiar path. About halfway down the path, Casper allowed his body to take on the common, clear white color that ghosts naturally had.

"Thatch-" Casper started, but when Thatch turned and glared ever so hatefully Casper didn't want to continue whatever he was going to say.

"Not a word until the forest." He hissed angrily. Then the violet-eyed monster continued on the path, his cloak flowing behind him as the strong breeze caught it. The wind was strong, the sky was dark with the warning signs of an incoming storm. But Casper followed still, staying a small bit behind the vampire who seemed to not care about the wind in the slightest, his eyes only looking ahead of him.

Casper, even in this situation couldn't help but admire the vampire and his odd charm… And that cloak did look damn good on Thatch.

When Thatch entered the forest he still did not look back, instead, he sighed heavily and crossed his arms over his chest- waiting for Casper to do something; and in which the ghost was more than eager to explain what happened.

"Thatch, in class today it's not what you think. I didn't tell Ra anything."

"Then why were you two laughing? I could feel you watching me all class- it felt like you were burning holes in the back of my head!" He curtly replied. "Then the second I actually look at you, you're laughing with that dumb mummy!"

"Don't call my friends dumb." Casper deeply frowned but tried to remain calm. Thatch was hurt- he was just being terribly emotional. He would have to control this like he did before. The ghost boy carefully moved closer, gazing up into the other's eyes. "We weren't laughing at you, he was poking fun at me for… watching you…"

"And why were you watching me?" He scoffed, but he didn't seem to mind the ghost drawing closer to himself.

The answer was embarrassing, and hard to put into words. The ghost helplessly staring up at the vampire, who in return seemed to be giving him no mercy this night. Thatch had asked a question, and wanted an answer… Casper wasn't sure how to, especially not like this.

The wind was hollowing as it passed through the forest, shaking the branches above their heads. Leaves were falling loose- being dragged along in the wind as they whipped around the vampire and ghost as if they were the only things that really mattered. Casper could smell Thatch's scent even now, the wind carrying it along. The other's hair was ruffled with the breeze of the wind, his cape moving with even the slightest gust of air. The moment was frozen but moving- simply frozen in time.

"It's cold. Let's go inside." The ghost tried to avoid the question, averting his eyes from the other.

"You're a ghost, ghosts don't get cold… Anyways if you are cold- which you are not… Come here." He ordered. "I want my answer. Honestly, it felt like you were watching me all class- rather creepy don't you think?" He scoffed, lifting his arm and offering his side to the ghost. Casper came closer, and instead of just taking his spot by the vampire he opted to hug Thatch instead. He preferred things this way- hugs were so much more friendlier and comforting.

Thatch didn't protest much- at most a sigh before he adjusted himself so his back was to the wind and Casper protectively held in his arms. "Better marshmallow boy?"

"Yeah… And don't call me that." Casper pouted. Thatch only grinned and shrugged, as if it was only natural to do so. "Ugh… you're impossible…" He muttered, but then smiled gently and just hugged the vampire tighter. "If I answer you can't laugh or judge."

"The forest holds our secrets." He said ever so easily. Casper never knew the vampire could hold any sort of charm- but at night he was like a completely different monster. It was confusing, but nice as well.

"Well… Everyone else uses a simple pen or the like, and you use a fountain pen- plus you write strangely." Casper started off simple, not really knowing how to explain. Thatch didn't seem to get what the big deal was either. "Whenever you write you stop a lot, even if there is no reason to stop…"

"That's… just how I write. Casper how long were you watching me to notice such a silly thing?" He laughed, but Casper seemed annoyed that Thatch was brushing such a thing off.

"It's not silly! I want to know why. No one else writes like that, and your handwriting is weird too." He defended.

"Oh my, touchy touchy." Thatch teased. "Didn't know you were so interested, my bad." He scoffed. "It's how I've always written Casper since I was young. Course back then I learned with an inkwell and a quill. Times change of course and I rather not carry around a small glass jar full of ink." He stated simply. "That better? That a good answer for you?" He offered, carefully watching the ghost's expression. "Was that the only reason you were watching me?"

"... No... " He murmured. "I was wondering what we were going to do… If we should act like we hate each other or…"

"I don't have an answer either… How about we don't worry about such little things and enjoy the night." Thatch offered. He guided Casper back to their tree and sat down by it like the night before. The ghost nestled against his side, Thatch's arm wrapped around Casper's shoulder. Tonight he let the cloak follow his arm, helping cover Casper from the cold winds since Casper seemed to be such a crybaby about it.

"Well you should, it's your turn to answer…"

"Oh, not this again." Thatch groaned. He rested his head back against the tree and rolled his eyes. "Come on I asked a decent question was all, why must it always be this game of yours?"

"Gives me an excuse to get you to talk. You rarely ever just talk." Casper joked. "You're always fighting or yelling."

"Hmp, well I have to." The vampire grumped.

"Have to? Explain- I want that answered instead of the other question."

"... Both your questions suck."

"The one you gave me sucked!"

"I thought it was reasonable."

Casper nudged Thatch's side, looking up into those violet eyes. "Answer!" He was feeling more comfortable around Thatch, seeming to know he could push farther tonight and get more out of the bully. Bit by bit trust was being built between them- the start of friendship perhaps?

"Fine." Thatch chuckled. "I'll make sure to give you a terrible question for this… Ok well... " Thatch drew out, thinking over the question idly as his eyes wandered the forest like they had the night before- as if an answer would just jump out at them. "Well, unlike you ghost boy most of us monsters live in the Underworld. Only the biggest and baddest matter and become legends. You gotta fight, push people around and yell. I'll be as well known as Dracula one day!" He proudly stated. "Thatch Manora, the best vampire in history!" He called out proudly, grinning widely which made his sharp teeth show even more than normal.

"Why does that matter?"

"Ah no! That's two questions in a row, against the rules." Thatch scolded. "It's my turn." He defended quickly. It was amusing to see how Thatch seemed to think this was some sort of competition with actual rules. Casper just saw it as a fun way to learn more about the other. To get something you got to give.

"Ok let's see… Um…" The vampire muttered. "... Ghosts can change their form to look like things, so why don't you?" He said after a few moments. "Yeah you don't know what you had looked like, but you change your body on a whim- I have seen it. You always get rid of your legs when you fly. Can't you just change in general and look… not like a marshmallow?"

That was a terribly long-winded, and drawn out question… But it was a question, so Casper felt obliged to answer- it was only fair.

"I've never tried," the ghost admitted. "And even then, what should I copy?" He asked carefully. Thatch contently listened, then motioned to himself.

"Well duh, if you're to copy anyone it's to be the best, right?"

"... You're a narcissist."

"... What's that?" Thatch dumbly asked.

"Never mind." Casper chuckled lightly. "Whatever, yeah. I'll try to copy you." He shifted and pulled out of the gentle embrace. He moved so he was on his knees before Thatch, studying the vampire carefully. Casper already had the human basic shape, but there was really nothing else- suppose he should start with some of the more basic things- hair and the like. Casper reached his hands up, and as if mocking Thatch from the nights before he felt his head, and blue strands of hair seemed to form from nothing, all ruffled up. He made his hair a bit long, a few strands falling in front of his eyes as he just tries to match Thatch's style, trying to brush it back like Thatch.

Once it was slicked back like the vampire he took a slimmer look to his general body. Maybe Thatch did have a reason to call him a marshmallow boy- he was rather chunky around the center he supposed. Well, not anymore! It was just a slight change, but Casper seemed rather pleased with it. He also did not alter his height. He felt no reason to make himself as tall, or taller than Thatch. He liked the height he was at, plus he could just always fly if he wanted to see more.

Next was copying the clothes- how was he supposed to do clothes..?

"Um…" Casper paused in his transformation- his face flushing to a redder shade. Thatch was watching him with such care it was a bit embarrassing. "I don't know what else to do. Can I feel your shirt?" He asked.

"... Um… s-sure…" Thatch weakly replied. He allowed the ghost to feel his shirt, pulling at the fabric as he studied it and the buttons. Once the ghost seemed to have a good idea for it he almost flawlessly copied it… except for those dang buttons. That just seemed to slip his mind.

"Casper, pants!" Thatch looked away quickly from the undead monster.

"... Huh?" Casper glanced down. His white shirt went down to around his hips, then simply stopped. What was the big deal? He normally walked around naked. Why was Thatch freaking out about it now? "Well, sure. Let me see yours."

"NO." Thatch pressed back against the tree, tucking his legs up in defense.

"I'm not saying take them off! I'm just saying let me feel them real quick, I got to copy something." He explained. "If I don't know what it's supposed to feel like it'll just turn out like my hair, and I rather not have hairy pants." He explained. Casper had just copied the texture he had learned from Wolfie's fur. That was good enough, right? It was soft and fun to pet so why not.

Thatch still seemed displeased, but he stuck out one leg and allowed Casper to feel the pants, his brows furrowed. It was a much rougher material than the shirt, but doable.

Casper nearly mirrored the vampire, slicked-back hair, a white shirt and black pants. He was shoeless though, but that didn't bother the ghost in the slightest. "Well?" He gently pressed. Casper was feeling rather proud he was able to copy Thatch so well- or at least he thought he did so.

The vampire was watching him so closely like he was a science experiment or something more important. Without warning the vampire reached out and started to mess up Casper's hair, ruffling it all up and fluffing it.

Casper shut his eyes tightly and let out a soft whine, feeling Thatch run his fingers through his hair. It didn't last too long, and when Thatch drew his hands back Casper's hair had lost it shape and had fallen down, gently lining his face.

"You look better with your hair down- knew it." Thatch grinned. "Keep it like that, you look good. I guess I can't call you a marshmallow now… wow, the people at school are going to flip when they see you." Thatch actually sounded proud.

"T-the school…?" Casper wasn't sure if he should stay like this, but Thatch did seem to like it. If Thatch liked it surely the others would, so maybe he could give it a shot. "Well, sure." He agreed carefully.

As a gust of wind blew through the woods Casper could actually feel the breeze mess up his hair. His self-made clothes pulled in the wind- then he let out a startled yelp as his unbuttoned- not well made white shirt had opened, the flaps useless to cover him in such a wind. He quickly pulled the shirt tightly around himself, a look of confusion on his face.

Thatch moved and unlatched his cloak, placing it around Casper's shoulders to shield him more from the wind. "Maybe you're right, it's a bit much out here. Let's head back." He offered to the more human looking ghost. Casper nodded and weakly smiled, accepting Thatch's help as he stood up. The cloak was still warm- though Casper could tell this wasn't the cloak Thatch's dad had given him. He couldn't explain how he knew, he just did.

Thatch kept Casper close as they walked back towards the school, as peaceful as they were last night.

"I'm sorry I jumped the gun… I just really thought you…"

"I would never, Thatch." The ghost calmly defended, pulling the dark cloak around himself tighter. "You can trust me… You don't have to worry." Casper didn't care how many times he would have to prove it- he was determined to make Thatch understand. Maybe if Thatch could actually trust someone he wouldn't be so mean to everyone.


	4. You Look Like Thatch

Chapter 4: You Look Like Thatch

Casper sighed heavily, his eyes barely opening as everyone around him was starting to get up. He was exhausted, he could admit that. He was staying up far too late and barely getting any sleep. The first few nights he could handle, but it was all catching up with him now. The ghost boy tucked his legs up to his chest, pulling the thin blanket over his head to fully hide from the rest of the dorm. Just a few more minutes, it was just a Thursday after all- the most unimportant day of the week. Surely he could rest just a bit longer…

The bed was his safe space and he felt like he never wanted to leave it. In his hazy mind, he could still remember last night so well.

Thatch and Casper had snuck back into the dorm, unseen by the cover of the beauty that was the night. Thatch had led Casper over to his coffin, where he opened the lid and pulled up a soft mattress that covered the bottom, revealing a hidden storage area. It was filled with extra clothes and a few other things Thatch had stashed away in it. Now it made sense. Casper had always wondered where Thatch's clothes came from. Thatch, unlike some of the other monsters who wore the same clothes daily, preferred a cleaned, pressed look.

Casper had unclasped the cloak from around himself and offered it back to Thatch, who took it and draped it over the side of his coffin. He reached down to the bottom, searching around until he pulled out a white button up shirt and some black slacks- identical to his own.

"Here, have some real clothes." The vampire offered. "Your shirt has no buttons anyways."

"Oh… Thank you." Casper whispered softly, wary of the other monsters in the room. His clothes he had made himself faded back into his body- which seems to odd Thatch out more than Casper would have thought. The blue eyed monster got dressed in the new outfit and it felt much better than the one he made. He could actually feel the fabric pressed against his body. It was all a bit big, the sleeves hanging over his hands and the pants dragging the floor. Thatch didn't seem fazed by this. He simply rolled the sleeves up to Casper's shoulders and rolled the pants up to the ghost's ankles.

"Maybe we can get you some actual clothes one night…" He carefully offered. "These pants will get dirty quick if you let them drag on the floor. They never clean this place." He angrily mentioned.

"Wait, I thought monsters liked things dirty?" Casper curiously asked. He always noted Alder and Dash making the school EXTRA dirty whenever they had visitors.

"Only uncivilized, petty monsters actually like the filth." Thatch turned his nose up. "Vampires like myself are a much higher class, overall the filth and grime. It's honestly disgusting."

Casper could only figure that made sense. Vampires always seemed the neater of all the monsters. They were suppose to live in huge, really fancy castles with cool stuff, weren't they? No wonder Thatch seemed to hate this place so much. "Where do you even wash your clothes?" The ghost boy asked, his head tilted to the side so his newfound blue tinted hair covered his eyes barely, like an unkempt child. Thatch didn't seem to be in the mood for answering questions out of the forest, for he just glanced around the silent dorm and pointed to Casper's bed, almost as if shooing the ghost boy away for the night.

Seems Thatch had enough social interaction. Not wanting to overload the vampire Casper just nodded and returned back to his bed while Thatch climbed into his coffin for the night….

That was how last night ended, and while it had all been pleasant Casper realized he needed more than 3 or so hours of sleep per night- which somehow Thatch seemed perfectly fine with! He hadn't seen Thatch yawn once in these past few days, which surely meant the vampire was too use to getting this little sleep.

"Casper," Ra yawned as he walked over to the ghost boy's bed, lazily tugging at the blanket but not pulling it off in the slightest. "You need to wake up now, come on." He tiredly encouraged. Ra always seemed tired no matter how much sleep he got. The tired mummy pulled pitifully at the blanket once more just so Casper knew he was there, then yawned loudly.

Casper whined, knowing he would have to face the light of day now. He sat up, sighing as he let the blanket fall off of him, gently wincing as the light attacked his eyes. He really, really wished night lasted longer now. He kicked the blanket off of himself, more annoyed than anything that he had to get up.

As he lifted his gaze he saw Ra's mouth was agape and he was looking at Casper in… horror? Confusion? The ghost couldn't tell.

"Who are you!?" Ra yelled loudly, drawing the attention of every single boy in the dorm. Wolfie leaped off his bed and walked over, looking between Ra and Casper.

"... Ra are you nose blind? That's Casper. He's just…" Wolfie moved closer, sniffing at Casper, though his nose seemed to go to the clothes more… Casper quickly put his hands over the other's big nose.

"It's me, it is me. No need to do that. I just.. Look different is all."

"Why?" Flyboy buzzed from his top bunk across the room.

"I just… I didn't want to… Uh, look like a marshmallow?" That was the only excuse he could really come up with. That's what Thatch had said, and that's the only thing that could be an excuse without bringing the vampire up.

"Aww, Casper you don't look like a marshmallow." Ra comforted the ghost, patting his back. "Your new look is cool. I had no idea ghosts could do that."

"Oh… yeah, me neither…" Casper muttered to himself mostly. "I'm hungry, aren't you hungry? Let's go get food." He swiftly said. As always, food interested Ra and the mummy boy seemed more than happy to drop the topic of Casper's new look.

As Casper walked out of the dorm with Ra he could still feel Wolfie watching him. He had to pull the other off to the side and speak to him alone- he couldn't let Wolfie tell anyone he noticed anything.

Mantha was already in the cafeteria waiting for them, and she seemed positively excited for Casper's new look, though the ghost could see she was hesitating about… something. But as they drew close she fawned over his soft fluffy hair, ruffling it up playfully.

"Casper you look amazing, you should have done this sooner but...Casper?" She gently started. "Why do you look so much like Thatch?" She asked.

"Casper looks nothing like Thatch." Ra scoffed. "I mean look at him, blue eyes, blue hair, and he's a ghost."

"Ra you're blind. Look, he's wearing… Casper is that Thatch's clothes?" she asked bluntly. "How'd you get Thatch's clothes?" she followed up, not even waiting for the first answer. She knew they were Thatch's. No one else wore those type of clothes- and it wasn't like there was a shop anywhere near the school.

Casper looked away from his friends, unsure of how to explain. But he wasn't keeping that many secrets from them. They knew he was sneaking out to follow Thatch, so maybe he could explain this one simple detail? It wasn't a secret or anything. "Ok, I'll tell you once we get food." He decided. Ra was looking like a very hungry mummy and he rather not let his friend stand there starving.

After the trio got their trays and sat down at their normal table Casper could tell Mantha wanted all the details, so he pushed his tray away, not feeling that hungry anyways. "I snuck out again last night, so I could explain to Thatch that what he saw yesterday wasn't what happened… He was expecting me to follow too, he stopped for me to catch up even if he couldn't see me… We talked and once he calmed down everything was fine again."

"Well, that's a relief. I was sure he was going to murder someone if he stayed that angry." Ra horked, horking down his food.

"Ra, manners!" Mantha scolded, then turned back to Casper quickly. "Well? And how'd you end up like this- in Thatch's clothes might I add?"

"Well, it's rather simple." Casper giggled. "He was asking why I decided to look the way I did, and why I didn't change my form like other ghosts. I figured I could give it a shot, and since Thatch was there I generally copied him- his hair and all. He didn't like it slicked back so now it's all ruffled and down- he says he prefers it that way," as Casper went on he didn't notice the glance Mantha and Ra gave each other. "I didn't copy the clothes right though, and it was weird because the clothes were technically a part of my body when I made them. When we return back to the dorm he just gave me this old set he had." The ghost seemed pleased with his explanation. It was nice, simple, to the point and revealed utterly nothing about Thatch, surely!

Apparently not.

"Thatch said he likes your hair down?" Ra poked at his food, glancing between Casper's soft looking hair and his weird looking breakfast.

"I never thought Thatch could like anything," Mantha mumbled.

"Come on guys, I've been telling you he isn't that bad. He's just…"

"A bully- still." Ra rolled his eyes, using his fork to point across the cafeteria as once again, Thatch had shoved Wolfie to the ground and was laughing with his gang. Seems Thatch was making a new habit of torturing Wolfie every morning. "Casper you gotta stop that, come on don't you have some control over Thatch?" Ra pressed,

In all honesty, the blue-eyed ghost had no clue. He only seemed able to direct and sooth Thatch, and that was when they were alone at night. He didn't know how things would go in the day surrounded by people… but he just couldn't let Wolfie be constantly bullied like that! And so the ghost stood up and walked across the room to the large group, his eyes set on Thatch. He didn't exactly know what to say or do, and he could feel his unseen heart thumping away in his chest.

"Knock it off, Thatch!" He raised his voice, standing before the group of bullies. His hands were shaking by his side, but he was trying to be brave. He hated seeing people hurt and bullied- and if anything… It made no sense. Thatch, the vampire who could be calm and caring was a horrid bully. Was this all so he could be the biggest, meanest vampire and go down in history? Casper just didn't see the point in it all.

The violet-eyed vampire looked up, his foot still resting on Wolfie's head, keeping the poor thing pinned down to the nasty floor.

"Ah look, it's marshmallow boy!" Dummy Girl laughed. "Once a marshmallow boy, always one Casper. Your new look is awful. Ew, your clothes are utterly dreadful too." She said snidely. Thatch's eyes briefly narrowed, but he then regained his calmer look. He adjusted his foot so it was on Wolfie's back, letting the creature lift his head to look up at Casper with desperate, pleading eyes.

"... Thatch I mean it, let him go…" The ghost repeated, a bit softer this time.

"As if Thatch will listen to you!" Dummy Girl laughed.

"... Yeah, sure. Whatever, he was getting boring anyway." The vampire responded, ignoring his gang. He removed his foot and let the monster scramble away from him, running all the way back to Ra and Mantha, knowing the two undead would protect him as Casper always had.

"Thank you," Casper turned back to Thatch, looking at him with those desperate blue eyes. The vampire wasn't saying much, and Casper knew by now normally Thatch would be in his face yelling.

Dummy Girl was in shock and generally looked mad. She looked around, and she grabbed another student's tray, filled up with the gross thing they had to call food in this school. She was about to dump it over Casper, when Thatch grabbed her wooden wrist and twisted it, causing her joints to creak as they were forced to turn ways they weren't built to. His violet eyes narrowed- barely moving as he easily subdued the much smaller female.

"That's enough." He hissed carefully. "This is boring, drop it." He lied simply. He released her once she nodded, not wanting to have her arm dislocated, or to simply snap. "Better…" He said as if comforting Dummy Girl to let her know he wasn't that mad at her, and this would be forgotten and forgiven instantly. As he turned away Dummy Girl was quick to return right back to his side, staring up at the vampire in confusion as she followed his lead out. Mosshead wasn't far behind them, but Slither lingered longer.

He silently watched Casper, studying him coldly, before his normally uncaring eyes narrowed threateningly; and soundlessly he went to follow the gang. Slither seemed upset Thatch had let Casper off the hook so easily, but currently, he was in no position to question their little leader.

And while Casper was worried about that look, he felt rather light and happy. Thatch had actually stopped, and protected him from Dummy Girl! Maybe all these nights together really were doing something. And so with a happy heart, Casper went back to his table where his friends were. Mantha was currently picking bits of food out of Wolfie's fur, trying to help him get cleaned up.

"Casper!" The werewolf perked up instantly, his tail wagging quickly behind himself as he stood up to greet Casper. "Thank you for your help today."

"Anytime." The ghost replied kindly, taking his seat once more. He was feeling pretty good about himself. He got Thatch to listen and stop picking on the werewolf, at least for now. "He was really going at you today. What happened?"

"Oh, I dunno." He shrugged. "He saw me laughing with Harpy, said my laugh was really annoying or something." He simply said. "I never really thought my laugh was anything to get mad about…"

"It's not," Ra commented. "Thatch is just a jerk face." He said without thinking, though he cleared his throat as Casper looked away. "Well uh, a jerk face sure but um, at least Casper made him back off?" He weakly offered.

Casper understood Ra and Mantha still disliked Thatch, and they had every reason. They had not seen the softer side of Thatch yet, they did not know. All they could do was believe in Casper's words. Believing could only go so far, and Casper understood. Tonight he'll have to prove to them that Thatch was ok! So, he made a plan…

Casper took his time, waiting and planning things ever so carefully with Ra and Mantha. When curfew hit he was nervous, but also excited. He was feeling more awake, but that was because he kept falling asleep during the day now. He slept through all of lunch, along with Dr. Burn's lessons for the day. He had a feeling he would regret that later, but these late night meetings with Thatch was too nice to turn down really.

The day had passed peacefully, with Thatch not really picking on anyone. It was strange, but a nice sort of strange. Casper contently watched in bed, still dressed in his newfound clothes. He found it rather distressing to wear clothes. He never knew all the things he always did could make things so dirty! He had to be careful around food now, around dust and dirt and generally try to act like he was a solid THING that needed to tend to its body. One thing that was bad was, he couldn't get rid of his legs which were a habit of his, and he couldn't phase through things or go invisible! The clothes still showed when he did that.

It was like everything he did ghost wise was stripped away by wearing clothes… But he liked wearing them. So giving up his normal abilities didn't seem like too bad of a trade-off. He could phase out of them anytime but he really didn't need to use his powers at the school so everything was working out just fine honestly.

The ghost boy waited, listening. When Thatch's coffin open he didn't hesitate. He got up and went over, helping Thatch lift the lid so he could climb out. The vampire was trying not to smile, Casper could tell even in the dark room.

"Actually going to walk with me this time?" He whispered, trying his best to not really look at Casper. The ghost didn't mind, just sweetly smiling as he stood by Thatch's side, trying to get him to leave the dorm room quickly.

"Figured while wearing these I can't sneak out, so I'll have to learn how you do it," Casper said, hoping that Thatch could teach him a few tricks about actually sneaking around without the chance of getting caught. Thatch seemed to understand because he just nodded and motioned for the ghost boy to keep close, and so he did.

The vampire lead him out calmly, taking the same path he did every night. "Why this way?" Casper had to ask.

"I memorized the gargoyles patrols. This is the safest way." He explained simply. Thatch said it like it was no big deal, but Casper was rather shocked by it. So Thatch had to sneak out every night to have memorized the patrols. Maybe vampires really didn't need that much sleep after all. Casper had never seen Thatch yawn, ever. It was so confusing.

"Why do you bully Wolfie?" He asked as they headed outside the castle doors, out into the fresh cool air.

"You asked two questions in a row." Thatch said simply.

"No game this time, Thatch why?" Casper pressed. "And don't say cause you want to."

"It's not cause I want to."

"Well, then why?" Casper stopped walking, stubbornly crossing his arms over his chest.

"Cause I have to." Thatch sighed heavily. "You don't understand anything, do you?" Thatch frowned and stopped walking to look at the ghost. The forest was just in view, but still a good ways away. Casper wanted to talk about this now, which was fine with the vampire.

"I guess I don't...I lived in the fleshie's world all my life, I don't know much about monsters… don't be mad." Casper almost whimpered.

"I'm not mad I… I guess that makes sense," Thatch muttered. The violet-eyed vampire avoided eye contact with the ghost, instead of looking back at their school. "Look… Wolfie is a strange case, both his parents were werewolves, which is kinda rare." He explained calmly. "So Wolfie is normally a werewolf, and not just under the full moon like most of his kind. But the thing is… Casper, he can turn into a fleshie. If he does that while in school I have no doubt Alder and Dash will turn him to stone."

"So… How does that explain…?"

"Simple- as long as Wolfie is feeling any extreme emotion, whether anger, sadness or even joy he can stay a werewolf. If he ever becomes mellow and relaxes he'll be a fleshie… I bully him to-"

"-To keep him angry… Thatch you're helping him, why?" Casper gingerly asked.

"That's what monsters do, we help each other. Fleshies are the true evil in the world you know..." Thatch sighed. "Any other questions? You're breaking your own rules." He reminded the ghost, gently smiling.

"Yeah, I guess I did. I promise to follow them again." He assured the vampire with a big toothy smile. Who knew Thatch was actually such a big softy?

"You better." Thatch rolled his eye and continued to walk. "Keep up ghost boy." He reminded gently. "We're not in the forest yet."


	5. Goodbye Thatch, Hello Slither

Chapter 5: Goodbye Thatch, Hello Slither

It was Friday finally, but that wasn't really comforting. Casper felt like hell, the lack of sleep was really catching up to him. In fact, he had gotten no sleep at all that night. He and Thatch had barely returned to the dorms before any of the alarms had gone off. Casper had just gotten on his bed, and Thatch only opened his coffin lid when the alarm clocks started to go off all around the room. Time to start the day.

Thatch didn't seem to mind, for he had closed his lid as if he was getting out of it. He went around the room, getting his personal friends up faster than normal, demanding they were 'lazy bones' and needed to move fast before he forced them too.

Basically, this morning sucked. Now here he was, sitting in the cafeteria, his head drooping down every time he started to nod off, his face nearly hitting the tray of food in front of him every time.

"So, Casper…" Mantha carefully spoke. "About last night- your plan was flawless." She admitted to the exhausted ghost. "So he really does take the same route every night, guess we can watch him easier."

"Yeah, and dude he talked to you, not yelled. So weird." Ra brought up.

Ah right, their plan. Casper had been so determined to prove to his friends that Thatch wasn't evil, so he had told them exactly where to hide and wait for them, so they could listen in on the conversation last night- though he had begged they did not go into the forest. The forest was their secret place. Ra and Mantha had, of course, agreed and swore beforehand they wouldn't go in- they would stop at the courtyard then head back to their dorms.

"He even smiled, a lot actually." Mantha hummed as she poked at her food. "Guess you were right Casper- whoa easy there." She reached over and rested a hand on the ghost's shoulder as his head dropped down again. "Did you get any sleep? You look terrible."

"No sleep," Casper yawned, shaking his head and trying to stretch. "We ended up talking all night."

"About what?" Ra softly chuckled.

"My home. He wanted to know more about the fleshie's world." Casper calmly explained. "I ended up telling him more about Jimmy."

"Was that safe? I mean, talking about Jimmy to Thatch? What if he reports your friendship."

"He won't, he promised," Casper said confidently. "I trust him to keep it. He hasn't done anything to make me worry- oh…" Casper's train of thought got derailed as he watched the vampire walk into the cafeteria, his little gang in tow behind him.

The vampire's eyes scanned the room calmly as if trying to decide on what to do, who to bully for that day. As he looked Dummy Girl leaned up and whispered into the vampire's ear, who contently listened and nodded along to what she said.

Something about that was unsettling to the ghost but just felt too tired. He didn't want to get up and find out, he just wanted to sleep and look forward to their peaceful nights.

"Hey, Casper?" Ra drew his attention back. "What are you going to do about Thatch?"

"What do you mean Ra?"

"Well, you said you kinda… liked him, right?" He said, looking rather unsure. "And I guess I can see the softer side of Thatch, still don't like him but… What do we do now?"

"I don't know." Casper sighed sadly. "I really don't know."

He had fallen asleep in every single lesson, unable to keep his eyes open for more than a few minutes at a time. Ra and Mantha tried to keep him awake, but their efforts were pointless. The ghost simply couldn't stay awake. Though, much to Casper's delight he did notice Thatch also dozing off once or twice when the lesson got really mundane.

Casper, with some sheer force of luck, did not get in trouble. Thatch, on the other hand, was given detention. It was probably because Thatch was sitting further up in class, more noticeable by the teachers. Casper pitied the vampire, knowing it was his fault they stayed up so late. But there was nothing to be done.

The rest of the day passed by in a haze, Casper really didn't remember much, and before he knew it he was crawled into bed, only he didn't wake up once his head touched the pillow. He fell into a deep sleep, exhausted. It wasn't until the sun was rising did Casper realize his mistake.

As the gentle beams of sunlight flooded into the stone room the ghost snapped straight up in bed, his blue eyes wide with the horror of his mistake, but before he could really take everything in he felt a dark shadow cover him. He looked up, and there was Thatch. He stood beside Casper's bed, blocking the lovely sunlight from coming in. He didn't look upset, more confused.

"What's the matter ghost boy?" He said coldly. "You look worse than Mantha when she decides to move those rotting limbs." Thatch laughed, earning a snicker from Mosshead and Slither who stood nearby.

"... Nothing." Casper spoke softly, averting his gaze. Thatch calmly watched him for a moment, before he turned away.

"Whatever… anyways listen up you losers!" He called out loudly, as always his voice capturing the attention of all the monsters in the room. It reminded Casper of the time Thatch took control on the flying ship when they were all first gathered and brought to the school. So the ghost boy contently listened, not getting out of bed yet. "I, unlike you unlucky souls am going home for the weekend." Thatch happily said.

Thatch was leaving? For a whole weekend? They were allowed to visit home- or was this something different? Course students leave for family emergencies or something of the sort. Casper never heard such a thing…

"While I'm gone Slither," he motioned over to his friend, who puffed out his chest proudly. "Will be making sure you sorry sacks won't go ruining this school." He smoothly explained, grinning cockily as he strolled back over to Slither. "See you when I get back." He added a softer note to his friend, patting his shoulder before he walked out of the room, looking rather pleased with himself.

And Casper, on the other hand, was destroyed. He sadly watched the vampire go, feeling his heart sink down into his chest. Thatch really was leaving? Was it his fault? Because he missed the meeting last night? No, surely Thatch wouldn't leave because of that- would he?

The ghost boy didn't even notice Slither watching him with such spite, such distrust, and loathing. The ghost boy only noticed when the monster slowly moved over and grabbed him by Thatch's shirt, lifting him out of bed with ease. His tentacles that served as hands stretched and coiled around the ghost as his normally uncaring eyes were filled with hate.

"You've been causing trouble…" He lightly hissed. None of the others seemed willing to get involved- except for Ra who had just rolled out of his sarcophagus. The mummy had barely woken up when he saw Slither holding onto Casper. So, Ra did what he thought was best.

He blindly charged into battle and tackled Slither to the ground, which luckily made the snake-monster release the ghost. Ra yelled, grabbing onto Slither's dark robes as he tried to shake him up- mostly trying to spook the monster. Ra really didn't know what else to do, monsters weren't good at scaring monsters- unless you were Thatch.

And because of that Slither seemed unimpressed, and more annoyed that he was being shaken around by the mummy. Casper, desperate to save Ra from a royal ass-whooping was quick to pull his naive friend off of Slither.

"Please, please let's not fight." The blue-eyed ghost begged, swift to move between Ra and Slither.

"Touch Casper again and I swear I'll knock you out or my name isn't Raneferefu!" The angry mummy yelled, trying to move forward despite Casper's hand on his chest, trying to push him back. Slither looked like he wanted to say something, but he was holding himself back. Everyone was still watching them, waiting to see who would win this fight. Did Thatch pick a strong monster that could defend his title while he was gone, or was Slither a failure?

Slither seemed to be thinking these very things over. Normally he was one to sit back and watch, but with Thatch gone and him in charge things changed. He hated the fact Thatch had to leave, but the vampire had no choice… Maybe if he rushed he could make it to the boat and ask Thatch to please stay- but he knew going home meant so much to the vampire…

"Casper…" Slither spoke carefully. "You will stay away from Thatch. He doesn't need a stupid ghost haunting him. He has enough troubles…" Slither almost muttered before he walked by them, bumping shoulders so hard with Ra he nearly knocked the mummy over. Mosshead nervously watched them before he ran after Slither, softly whining in distress.

"What an ass…" Ra muttered, rubbing his sore shoulder. "What was that all about?" He muttered, then leaned closer to Casper. "Think he knows?" He softly whispered.

"He knows something… something about Thatch," the ghost boy frowned. He didn't like that. What did Slither know that he did not? He could go ask… He had time, surely he could catch up. "Bye Ra!" Casper quickly said, taking off. He went through the wall, phasing through it and felt Thatch's clothes fall to a crumpled heap on the floor. He had no time to worry about it now. The ghost flew through walls and halls, reaching the docks right on time to see Thatch going on board. He didn't seem pleased to be sailing with the blind pirate, but he said nothing of it which made this all seem even more unreal.

Casper went invisible and snuck aboard the ship, nervously watching Thatch as he sat down on one of the many benches, pulling out his family photo from his cloak to look at as the ship took off.

Much to Casper's surprise, the ship was sailing into the human world… Where did Thatch live? The vampire always spoke about having a house in the Underworld, did he have another home, or was he lying about living in the Underworld after all? All of it was making the ghost boy nervous. Maybe he shouldn't be spying on Thatch- but he just wanted to know more and grow closer… It hurt his heart when he was away from the vampire and he just couldn't explain why.


	6. Thatch Goes Home

Chapter 6: Thatch Goes Home

The boat creaked and moaned with every gust of wind that helped it sail through the air. Casper kept hidden, too scared to come out and admit to Thatch that once again- he had followed the vampire without permission. So, the ghost boy could do nothing but stay hidden and follow the violet-eyed vampire.

The double eyepatch-wearing pirate waddled along the deck with his peg leg, heading over to the wheel. His parrot grumpily watched Thatch distrustingly as if expecting Thatch to start insulting them the whole way, but the vampire did not. He silently sat on the wooden bench, tucking his legs up to his chest.

"So kid, where are we going?" Cappy asked. "I know you live in the underworld-"

"The human world." Thatch interrupted, not even lifting his gaze from his picture. "I live in the human world…"

"Your records say Underworld…"

"That's our second house, for when… when… Just take me to the human world. Drop me off in the normal town, I'll get home myself." Thatch sighed softly.

"I'm not sure if that's in the rules little child."

"You're job is to control the ship and take me to my destination. Take me to the human town and leave me there… now leave me alone." The vampire sighed heavily, turning so he was no longer facing the pirate at all. He instead opted to gaze out, watching as the ship started to sail away into the open air. He seemed to be in an irritable mood, but that was always the case. Perhaps it was odd because he wasn't as aggressive as he normally was. He was awfully snippy, but he wasn't threatening the pirate.

The trip was terribly silent and awkward. Cappy kept opening his mouth to speak, but then would silently shut it and say nothing. His parrot seemed equally as speechless, for once. So they sailed in silence.

Thatch refused to speak anymore, just gazing out into nothing. As they went through the junction, always the anonymous purple swirling portal of doom it seemed. As the bright sunlight hit Thatch he flinched back, just because it hurt his eyes at first. He rubbed them, blinking rapidly as he slowly adjusted to the awful sunlight and blue skies. A hiss escaped him out of pure annoyance to the sunlight. Their last trip to the human world was at least 3 weeks ago, leaving the vampire far too use to the dark and gloomy Underworld.

As the ship lowered, parking in its favored spot in town the vampire got up, hiding the picture back into his cloak, nice and safe. He walked towards the ramp, dragging his feet on the wooden deck.

"Now remember here laddie, I'll be back Monday morning 7am, sharp! That gives you the rest of this here Saturday and Sunday back home." He reminded.

"Yeah yeah, I won't be late you greasy old man." He snapped harshly. Cappy puffed his chest out, grumbling angrily as he turned away from the awful student. He much preferred taxiing Casper around. That ghost was always a pleasure to have!

"Well get going!" He snapped as he walked back to the wheel instead of letting the ramp down. "You can fly, you don't need no ramp." Seems Thatch had hit a soft spot with the old pirate, oh well.

The irritable vampire changed into a small black bat, quickly spreading his wings and took off flying into the air, but ever so close to the ground. Seems Thatch didn't like flying high up. Casper, of course, followed- unseen as ever.

They flew for a while, leaving the small town and passing at least a few others before Thatch flew into a dark forest, weaving between the trees easily. Casper made his life easier and just went through them to keep up with the nimble bat. Then- deep in the forest Casper saw what could only be described as some sort of magical wall. He barely noticed it honestly.

He could only tell because it looked like an entire part of the forest was just being eaten into the dark shadows. As the ghost boy and bat went through it he understood why it was there. Behind the wall was a large, towering castle. It was old with towering stone towers that overlooked the forest, daring anyone to just try to enter.

It even had a moat with a drawbridge- but it looked like it hadn't been used since- ever. The chains were rusted over and gears coated in dirt. Thatch flew over the moat and walls before ducking down and landing on the beautiful stone path right behind the drawbridge.

The stone path went up to the castle stairs while making a large circle as if they were expecting carriage after carriage to pull up- but it was all empty. The trees dead and rotting, flower beds empty.

The fountain in the center of the stone road was cracked and filled with nothing but dust and dead leaves. The place looked abandoned. It almost reminded Casper of Whipstaff Manor, abandon, cold, and empty.

This is where Thatch lived?

Casper nervously watched and followed, his feet just floating off the ground. It was so eerie here, so dead and empty. Thatch's footsteps echoed loudly, filling the courtyard like alarm bells warning of an intruder.

The violet-eyed vampire contently went up to the huge wooden doors, having to reach up to pull back the large iron knocker, letting it bang on the door 3 times. He then stepped back, staring up at the doors. But nobody answered. Thatch stood and waited, every 5 minutes or so he would knock again, and just as before moving back.

After about 30 minutes of this, the vampire heavily sighed and left the door, instead of taking an overgrown path around the building to what looked like a servant door. He moved some pots yo fund the spare key underneath and unlocked the much smaller wooden door. He stepped in and shut it behind himself, relocking it.

The halls were grand, a red carpet draped over the stone floors. Honestly, in its prime, it would have been like a fairy tale- but now all the fairies were dead and the princess lost hope it seemed. None of this seemed to bother the vampire.

"Mom! I'm home!" He yelled, his voice echoing all the way down the long, empty hallways. He calmly started to walk, all too familiar with the hallways. On the wall were old paintings, but each of them was covered with a tarp, hiding what they were of. All the curtains in the manor were shut, blocking out the sunlight. Perfectly understandable if this was a home to a vampire.

Thatch called out repeatedly as he went down the halls, finding his way to several rooms. The living room, library, kitchen, the main office which was attached to the library, the side office, the greenhouse in the back, and then with a heavy heart he started to drag his feet up some spiraling stairs that lead up into one of the tall towers. "Mom!" He yelled up the stairs, and he didn't even seem phased that there was no reply at all. He continued his ascend, and at the top of the tower was a large lab of sorts. Desks with tons of papers, a large chalkboard with some designs in the corner. One one of the walls was a portrait of a man with white hair and a gentle smile. Around his shoulder was the cloak Thatch wore, only uncut and fitted to him. Thatch nervously fiddled with the bat clasp around his neck, then spotted her,

His mother was by the french doors that lead out into the balcony. They were covered of course- to keep all sunlight out. Her hands were resting on the handles as if she was debating whether to step out or not.

"Not yet, mom." He spoke up gently. "You'll get burned."

"Thatch…?" She turned around, her faded violet eyes landing upon her son. "Oh… I didn't know you were coming home this year..."

"I come home every year." He smiled gently and walked over, raising his arms up to her. She kneeled down in an instant and pulled her son into her welcoming arms. Thatch nuzzled close happily, hiding his face into his mother's blouse. "You know being up here isn't good for you... "

"Perhaps…" She spoke softly as her eyes drifted around the room. "But it brings me great comfort after all these years… I can still hear him murmuring about his projects, how we will walk in the sunlight once more…" She stopped herself. Thatch's mother lifted him up with great ease despite her weak looking state. Thatch, at first annoyed, accepted it for his mother's sake.

"Aren't I a bit old for this?" He muttered.

"You'll be too old for this when I can no longer lift you."

"... We're vampires, you'll always be able to lift me!"

"That's the point." She actually smiled, letting a soft laugh fill the circular room. Thatch shifted in his mother's arms, angrily crossing his arms over his chest. The prideful vampire allowed himself to be held, purely for his mother's sake.

"Tonight, when the sun sets let's go for a stroll."

"Oh Thatch… You know I can't bear to leave this place."

"Mom, it has been years!" He tried to reason. "Please, just a walk in the garden. You use to love it."

"And from my windows, I can see all the plants I loved have died and withered away." She sighed. "There is no reason to go outside. Let's just… rest, and mourn." She carried the vampire calmly, walking over to the portrait of her husband, Thatch's father. "He wanted us to keep hidden and safe…"

"We are safe. No human can get here, mom we are safe." He tried to reason. "The magical wall is strong as ever, I almost flew right by this place myself. Please, mom? Won't you at least walk in the gardens with me tonight? Fresh air is good…"

"I wish to stay close to your father…" She set Thatch down and sighed, pressing her gown down to get rid of the wrinkles. The younger vampire looked upset, following his mother almost like a lost puppy. "You're doing well in school, right? You're popular and loved right my little bat?"

"C-course mom." He weakly smiled. "I have tons of friends."

"Are you lying?" She smiled. "The tips of your ears turn pink when you lie."

Thatch swiftly reached up and covered his pointed ears. "Mom!" He whined. "Don't say that."

"Oh you know you can't lie to me, young man… Now, I suppose I should help you settle into your old room." She decided simply. She turned and started to head back to the spiral staircase. Her long, beautiful flowing dress dragged the floor behind her as she walked. Her black hair was no longer tied up in its tight bun, instead, loose and flowing all the way down her back. "Keep close, I don't want you getting lost."

"Mom, I haven't gotten lost since I was what, 105?" Thatch groaned and followed.

"Oh, those numbers make no sense, use your vampire age." She reminded.

Thatch groaned, quickly doing the math in his head. Every 15 human years a single year for time, an aging vampire. "7 for vampire age." He corrected himself.

"Very good." She praised. Casper could see she looked no different from the photo, other than being Skinner. She never aged but Thatch did. "And let's see… You're now… 171, which puts you right around… 11 and a half." She smiled gently. "My little boy is growing up so fast."

"I'm not little!" He defended, even if he had to move his little legs a bit faster to keep up with the adult. "At least I'm no mummy! Their life spans are so dumb."

"Really now? I never met a mummy."

"They're jerks- I mean… They're odd and full of themselves… there's this kid at school, his name is Ra. I think he's what, 2500?" Thatch could tell that age only confused his mother, so he corrected himself. "To mummies ever 200 years is 1 year. So he's right around 12 and a half."

"Oh, so he's a good bit older than you." She calmly noted. "And why don't you like this Ra mummy? I thought you promised me to make new friends."

"I did, I did… um… We just… It doesn't matter." He grumbled softly. As they reached the bottom of the stairs the vampire child relaxed, seeming a bit out of breath. They didn't have these many stairs back at Scare School. There was no time to rest as his mother kept walking and Thatch hurried along to keep pace.

"A pity… I really wish for you to make friends." She sadly spoke, and Thatch whimpered weakly.

"I'll make friends, don't worry! I already have some great ones! I have um… I have Slither… and… Dummy Girl?" He paused, then perked back up. "Oh, and Mosshead!"

"Thatch, you know those three aren't friends. The Headmasters sent me a letter… You keep getting into such trouble with them, they're a bad influence. You use to be such an angel before you left for that awful school…"

"Moooooooooooom!" Thatch groaned. "We're monsters! We're supposed to get in trouble and-"

"We are not monsters! They may be Thatch, but we are not… We are civilized. I don't care what Kibosh says, we will not bother the humans unless we must feed." She deeply frowned. "Scaring the humans… tormenting them… it's cruel." She turned away. They both paused in front of a wooden door. On the door was a golden plaque on the door. Thatch Manora.

She opened the door carefully, weakly smiling. "I left it untouched for you," she spoke softly. The vampire happily rushed into his old room. It was really different than one would think. There was no coffin, no bats hanging from the ceiling like the other students guessed.

No, he had a human bed with soft covers and feathered pillows. He had large windows- currently covered with red curtains which matched the carpet that covered the castle's stone floor. He also had a large bookshelf, filled with so many books of old.

On his desk rested a dried out inkwell and a dusty quill- along with some forgotten and aged parchment. The vampire ran right to his bed, leaping onto the soft mattress and melting right into his old bed, clearly missing it far more than he would ever admit.

His mother smiled gently as she watched, content to see him settle right back into his proper spot. "Are you staying the whole weekend?"

"Yeah!" He sat up and smiled brightly. "I talked the headmasters into it. They're a bit of a stick in the mud, but I got them some potion so whatever." He claimed proudly, puffing out his chest.

"...Potion? Thatch you didn't do anything bad right?"

"Nah, they just said one of the professors forgot to hand over some potion, so I went into the classroom and got it for them." He waved the thought off easily. His mother seemed concerned, but she said nothing. "Mom… won't you walk the gardens with me?" He asked once more. "Once the sunset, it can just be a small walk? The breeze was so nice when I was flying here."

"...Not tonight." She sighed. "Now, settle in. I'll go make you some dinner." His mother instructed before walking away, disappearing into the dark castle, heading off for the kitchens.

Thatch watched her go before he sighed heavily and flopped down on his bed, stretched all the way out- something he could never do inside his coffin. He was just about to close his eyes and rest when he had the feeling someone was watching him… when he opened then, a pair of blue eyes were staring right back at him.

"MOM!" He screamed, scrambling and falling right off of his bed amidst his panic.

"Wait wait, no Thatch it's me!" Casper quickly yelled, holding up his hands as as if he was surrendering. The ghost quickly moved, floating back in front of Thatch to block the exit, not wishing for the vampire to flee before he had a chance to explain. "It's ok!"

"Why are you in my ROOM!?"


	7. Brave Father

Chapter 7: Brave Father

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Casper quickly said, holding his hands up, as if that would help the situation. It only made Casper look even more guilty in this situation.

"W-why… how- you followed me? Casper what the hell!" The vampire yelled, a hand over his chest as if to try to calm his pounding heart.

"I'm so so sorry, please listen-"

"No, hide!" The vampire quickly started to push Casper. "Under my bed or something, go go go!" He hissed. Casper just managed to get under Thatch's bed when his mother came rushing into the room, an apron still tied around her with flour lightly dusting it.

"Thatch, baby I heard you scream!" She rushed over, wrapping her arms around her child. "What's the matter, why'd you scream? Did you get hurt?" Thatch clung naturally to his mom, snuggling into her arms like a needy child.

"I'm sorry I, uh… I started to doze off and… I was just…" Thatch couldn't really think of a lie, but from the look on his mom's face Thatch knew she was jumping ahead and guessing at what he was thinking. It pained him to see that was always the first thing to come to mind.

"It's ok… Like you said, the magical wall is up. They'll never find us again." She softly whispered. She kept him close to her bosom, brushing his black and white hair back, smiling down at him. "You remind me so much of your father…"

"I look more like you," the batboy smiled sheepishly. His mother only shook her head and smiled, pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead. "I'm sorry to have scared you, I'll be ok now."

"If you say so…" She was slow to let go, clearly missing her darling baby boy. "I'll get back to cooking, it'll be done soon." She stood up, dusting off the front of her gown. Thatch smiled and waved, watching nervously as his mother left once more. The second the door shut he hissed and turned back to the bed.

"Casper!" He harshly whispered. The ghost boy nervously came out, offering a small smile.

"I can explain." He started carefully. When Thatch didn't speak Casper continued. "The second you left the room Slither got really, really aggressive and well… He said something and I just… I got mad Thatch, I'll admit it. I didn't really mean to follow you all the way here, but there was just never a good time to come out and tell you I was here." The ghost carefully spoke, nervously hovering right above the floor as he wrung his hands together, his blue eyes darting around the room. "I overheard a bunch of stuff I shouldn't have, I'm so sorry."

Thatch calmly listened, a deep frown on his face. What was done couldn't be changed now, best make the best of the situation, so Thatch sighed heavily. "Fine fine, ok I can work with this." He muttered mostly to himself. "You just gotta keep your stupid mouth shut." He hissed dangerously. "Let anyone find out about this place and I will hurt you, or your dumb friends!"

Now that was a serious threat. Sure Thatch couldn't really hurt Casper, but Ra and Mantha were solid monsters- they could get hurt. Casper was quick to nod in agreement. He never had plans on telling anyone this anyways. He liked the fact that he had Thatch's secrets- and he hoped to know more than that stupid Slither. It was really bugging the ghost boy that Slither acted like he knew so much about Thatch. Was this the thing Slither knew about?

The secret house, his lonely mother, empty hallways and something about the humans in the past… Casper wanted to know.

"Thatch… What happened to your dad?" He worded carefully. Thatch frowned deeply, his eyes narrowing.

"You don't need to know such things, ghost boy."

"Thatch I thought we were friends, can't you talk to me?"

"Friends, ha! When did we become friends?" He questioned the ever trusting ghost. Casper paused, trying to think back and decide when Casper wanted to label Thatch as a friend.

"When you accepted my help, back in the forest… You trusted me back then, you can trust me now. I'm still the same ghost." Casper smiled and moved forward, and to prove his point he held his arms open to the vampire; similar to what he did back in the forest when Thatch had been crying his horrid acid tears. "I trust you Thatch, and you can trust me. We're friends, aren't we?" He asked, wanting a sure answer from the vampire.

Slowly but surely, Casper was wiggling his way into Thatch's heart.

The vampire was allowing it to happen.

Thatch sighed softly and moved forward, carefully wrapping his arms around the ghost and hugging him, a small smile finding its way to his lips. "Ok fine, fine, sure," the vampire softly laughed. "We just gotta keep you hidden from mom. She doesn't like guests." He explained, but he still did not let go of the ghost. Casper was perfectly fine with that as he rested his head on Thatch's shoulder, just enjoying their closeness.

Ha, take that Slither.

"Tonight I can walk with you in the garden, it's very lovely." Thatch claimed. Casper tried not to make a face. Lovely? It had looked all rotten and dead when they came in- did the vampire not notice? But he didn't want to hurt Thatch's feelings, so he just nodded in agreement.

The rest of the time passed nicely, peacefully. When dinner came Casper stayed in Thatch's room while the vampire went to go eat with his mother. Thatch didn't return until a few hours later- which had worried the ghost only a small bit. Thatch had just been spending time with his dear mother, so all was ok.

"She's off to bed. Come on, let's go." Thatch smiled and offered his hand to the ghost boy, who took it without question. As they walked in the sprawling halls Casper kept glancing at the covered paintings. "Don't bother with those," the monster of the night warned the ghost. "They're not important."

"But then, why are they covered?"

"Mom doesn't want to see them. Breaks her heart." He explained calmly. Thatch's words only made the ghost want to look more, but this was not the time for such things.

"So, is this really your home?"

"Yeah. Was born in these walls actually. Mom and dad couldn't go into town to see the doctor so they had to make due with the castle staff."

"...Staff?"

"Well yeah, you think my parents could have tended to this place in its prime? Mom said we had dozens of maids and butlers. At least 10 cooks and 50 gardeners!" That was probably an exaggeration, but that was ok. Casper got the point- his family was hella rich and lived in a big fancy castle.

"So what happened?" He pressed.

"We'll talk in the garden." Thatch said simply as he went to the large oak doors at the front of the house. There was no key or lock, just a large, heavy plank that held the doors shut. Thatch let Casper go and put his hands on the underside of the thick plank, planting his feet firmly and pushed up. The vampire was barely able to lift it out of its holdings, and the second it was out he let it go. It clattered harshly to the floor, actually breaking. Thatch didn't seem to mind it.

"We needed a new lock anyways." He muttered. "Not as annoying as this." He stepped over the plank and pushed the door open. Casper watched in confusion though. He read in his books vampires were crazy strong, but from what he just saw Thatch was barely stronger than a ghost!

"Um…" Casper glanced back at the plank.

"It's fine. I know a monster in the underworld that can do anything for the right price. I'll have him install a real lock. These aren't the original doors." He explained simply. "They were a rushed replacement, we never got back to putting in proper ones." Thatch then turned and walked down the stone path. In the moonlight, it was like everything changed. Besides the flowerbeds, everything was coming to life.

"Mom is sad about her flowers dying, but honestly they're human flowers- they were bound to die." He noted as he looked at the pitiful dead flowers. Everything else seemed perfect. The trees were suddenly full of life, their silver leaves almost glowing in the night.

The broken fountain was fixed and had water flowing down its sides. It was such a sight, the water giving off a gentle mist which swept over the grass. It was eerie but all the more enchanting.

"Whoa… Thatch, what happened? This place was… so dead before." Casper muttered.

"It's the enchantments my dad made." He explained. "See even if that barrier hides the house, anything can pass by it so, in the day, this place is supposed to look dead and abandoned. No one wants to explore a castle in ruins. At night is when everything comes to life. The forest gets deadly at night, witches and the like roaming around. Scares the fleshies off." Thatch waved the thought off. "Come on, my favorite spot is around back." He grinned. Thatch started to run, and Casper swiftly followed. The old overgrown path that leads to the servant door was a beautiful brick path with potted flowers along the side. Thatch passed by the servant door, running all the way to the back of the house. Back there was a lovely pond, the water reflecting the moonlight that poured over the house, basking it in such a silver glow. Thatch grinned and went over to the pond's edge. In the water were beautiful fish of bright vibrant colors, just swimming around lazily. Around the back of the pond were dozens upon dozens of rose bushes, all in full bloom.

"Mom helped me plant those." He said proudly as he looked at the roses. "They've grown so well, I honestly didn't think they would bloom this year. Mom said the winter was just terrible." He explained. Casper gently smiled as he looked around the breathtaking garden. So this was the life of a vampire? Or, at least the life of Thatch. It was simply amazing.

"Thatch, this is so beautiful," the ghost smiled at the vampire, feeling his nonexistent heart pounding away in his chest. The vampire was so enchanting. Everything he did seemed so perfect, so well thought out and planned. Casper would feel himself sinking deeper into his emotions. Soon he would have no escape from them.

Thatch gently smiled and held Casper's hand tightly, his violet eyes soaking in the beautifully familiar sight before him. "I missed this place… But I wish I could remember it in its prime… My first memory of this place is one I never want to remember, but I know I can't forget it… I'll answer your question now." The vampire sat down by the pond's edge, unclasping his cloak and setting it beside him on the soft grass. He removed his socks and shoes, letting his feet rest in the cool water which startled the fish to the other side of the pond for now. Casper sat beside the vampire and let his feet also rest in the water, shyly smiling.

"This will answer a lot of questions… I wonder if our game will even continue after this."

"I think it will." Casper smiled and leaned over, resting his head on the vampire's shoulder. "I think our game will go for a very long time."

"If you think so, marshmallow boy."

It had been so peaceful that night. He was snuggled into his mother's arms as she read him a book. He didn't remember what it was. It had something to do with some female hero saving China- wherever that was. He just remembered the pretty pictures in the book. He knew his father was up in his tower, working away on his experiments. He always wanted to walk in the sunlight again, and so he worked endlessly on his dream.

It was right before his bedtime, the sun had set and everything was settling down in the lovely castle. The maids were cleaning up after the party in the ballroom for every year they had a private celebration on this day, their turning day- or at least his parents. The start of their new lives, a turning of a new page. They always told the story about how nice it was to be turned, how his father was turned by a kind vampire passing by- and upon having the epiphany he rushed home to his pregnant mother, declaring his love to her before she allowed him to turn her into the creature of the night as well.

Thatch always loved that story, knowing that his parents loved each other so much they simply could not be without the other- willing to change their whole lives just to assure they would live on. They always said they were each other's other halves. Thatch thought it was the best love story he had ever heard…

The trouble all started when a maid, one of his mother's personal thralls, (and his favorite), came running in. Well actually, she wasn't a thrall anymore. All 'thralls' had been released from his parent's control a year ago. Some of them left, but many of them stayed- having knowing the kind treatment from their Master and Mistress. All of the previous thralls were plucked off the street- abandoned and left to starve and die with no family and no one to care for them. So his parents were more than happy to bring them in, even if it had been unwilling at first.

Every servant had their own bed and only had to share a room with one other servant of the same gender. His mother assured they were all healthy and fed three meals a day. No one was forced to stay and serve them, which made for a very caring relationship between the vampires and their loyal servants.

This former thrall still had a broom in hand and she seemed completely out of breath, her chest heaving despite the tight corset all the maids were required to wear as part of their uniformed look.

Ah the uniform, Thatch was always fond of their uniforms- which required their necks to be exposed. The former thralls had the scars of their first bite- forever marking them. The marks were ones to be of honor among the servants. Anyone without an unbitten neck served them willingly, and would be honored to have his mom and dad feed from their neck- it was a very intimate thing that showed such trust.

A vampire is at their weakest while feeding from the neck.

"My lady! My lady, the people from the nearby village, they're marching this way!" Crystal warned. "They carry torches, spears, and swords… And at their front is a priest." She tentatively spoke.

"Pull the bridge up, shut all the gates. Summon everyone inside and lock the doors, board the windows. This is no big deal, we can fight this." His mother had spoken with such certainty to Crystal- her favored thrall. Thatch could only smile and reach up, clinging to his mother with such innocent fondness.

"Ma, shall we go to dad?" He asked childishly, having trouble speaking with his sharp teeth. Just earlier that day he had bit his tongue while eating some strawberries after his cup of blood- willingly given by the head butler- who was a thrall of his father.

"Oh, honey… how about you go to him, hmm? I'll be helping the servants." She sweetly smiled and set him down. "Run my little bat boy." She cooed.

"Madam Manora!" The Head Butler said urgently as he came in, his wrist still bandaged from the blood given earlier that day. Thatch didn't listen to the rest of it. He just ran out of the room, moving his tiny legs down the long halls, heading for his dad's personal tower. The torches on the side of the walls were all lit, bringing a golden glow to the castle. The paintings were well kept, all new with their golden frames. Pictures of his dad and his parents, then the same for his mom and her parents. Dear family and friends. Even some of their servants that have passed over the years. All servants were like family, and those who passed away were honored as close as any family member. They were buried in the family's personal graveyard, a mile further into the forest.

Thatch actually saw them as a family- they always treated him well and snuck him sweets even after his bedtime. He was the little prince of the house, that's what they said. Sure his parents weren't royalty, but they might as well be. The village nearby thrived off of his father's work and experiments. Medicine to cure the ill, inventions to make life so much easier for the poor humans. Everything had been so perfect.

Thatch didn't know what a priest was, or why the village was coming. It wasn't time for their big fancy ball. The only ball they had was in the winter, and this certainly was not winter time! Spring was here, and his mother's flowers were just about to bloom in the next few days.

He remembered those big balls fondly. The pretty dresses and finely dressed gentlemen. It was a very strict occasion though. The servants would dress in their best and take his parents private carriages out, at least two dozen of them with their entire collection of well trained horses, who were often tended to by a well paid local farmer.

The servants would ride all the way into town and pick the commoners up in the big fancy carriages, assuring there was no weapons and everyone looked their best. Sometimes the maids even helped the ladies with her makeup time to time. No one wanted to look bad at these events after all, they were a time to always be remembered.

Once the commoners were in the carriage the curtains were pulled shut over the windows, and they were told to never peer outside or else… Thatch never knew what the exact threat was- but no commoner ever pulled back the carriage while it was in motion. Sometimes the servants would go off the trail in the forest, riding around for a few extra minutes just to assure no one would be able to track the time it took to get to the castle. His parents were so strict on this. Yes the rules were strict, but his parents said it was for protection and the villagers didn't mind it too much, for they dined nicely at every grand ball- so who were they to complain?

Thatch always had such fond memories, but now wasn't the time to be thinking of that… The small vampire child started to climb the spiral stairs, softly whining as he kept looking ahead. He hated all these stairs. He glanced behind him, and upon seeing not a single person was following him he smiled.

Ok sure, he wasn't allowed to do this, but he wanted to! Sure he always crashed and got hurt, or broke something but he loved the thought of soaring through the air like he sometimes saw his parents do. When his parents thought he was asleep they would go outside and take the forms of bats, performing their lovely dance in the moonlight. It was so pretty and Thatch wanted to do it as well!

He took a deep breath and concentrated, trying really hard. Sure enough, he took the form of the smallest bat ever. He fell onto the cold steps, forgetting to flap his wings at first. The cold stone snapped him awake- seeing how he had been dozing off in his mother's arms just before.

He started to flap his wings, trying to move them as fast as he could. Slowly he started to lift off the ground much to his pure delight! He then started to fly up the staircase, just cover the stairs. With every move of his wings, he could still feel the stone under him- but that was fine. Last time he tried to fly up too high he got scared and changed back mid-flight, spraining his poor ankle. He was in bed for what seemed like forever to a child. At least the Head butler was kind and snuck him some treats while he was bedridden. And the maid read books to him as often as he wanted!

He didn't know how long it took, but soon he was in his dad's lab. When he reached the top step he changed back- and had a misstep which caused him to fall flat on his face. He started to cry, feeling the throbbing pain in his oversized fangs.

He heard some naughty word- something his mom said never to repeat come from his father. He slowly sat up, trying to rub the tears out of his eyes as his dad came to his side and kneeled down beside the smaller vampire.

"Shh, shh it's ok." He spoke ever so soothing, his accent heavy and comforting. His father lifted the small child, holding him like he was a glass doll. "You know you're not supposed to fly, but I suppose you did a good job. You make me so proud." He whispered, but Thatch could tell his dad was distracted. It took a bit for Thatch to realize what was wrong. All the lights in his dad's lab were out, but there was still light. Not the gentle light of the moon, but a piercing glow of the fire.

Thatch clutched to his dad's shirt, his cries stopped as he simply no longer felt the pain at all in his fangs, he was worried more about the scary glow that was coming in from outside. "Dad?" He whispered softly.

"It's ok Thatch, they can't get in." He smiled, his gray colored eyes watching his sweet child. Thatch only felt comfort as he gazed up at his dad, gently smiling.

"Why are they here?"

"I don't know… I just don't know." Thatch believed every word.

As his father set him down the angry yells of the villagers could be heard. Thatch walked over to the balcony doors, resting his hand on the glass and pushing the double doors open. He walked out onto the balcony and looked down upon his dear home. He could see the villagers at the gates. They were throwing spears at the gate- which did nothing.

But then Thatch saw them carrying long, long logs. Trees they had cut down and sawed all the branches off. They were starting to place them just across the moat. There was just enough room between the moat and the castle walls to support the end of the logs. Some of the skinnier villagers were crossing on the logs, trying to get to the controls of the bridge so they can bring it down.

"Dad, they're getting in!" He called back into the lab. He turned to look into the lab, seeing his father hurriedly moving things around. He was putting papers on his desk, pushing the chalkboard into the corner so it wasn't in the way.

"I doubt they are, this place is well defended."

"They made a bridge!"

"... What?" His dad replied coldly. He walked out onto the balcony, the night wind blowing harshly from so high up on the tower. Thatch smiled and watched his dear father. He looked so awesome, like those kings and princes in all those storybooks! His cloak was flowing in the open air, his normally slicked back hair looser and moving in the wind- having lost its shape from how many times he ran his fingers through it. It was a nervous tick his dad had. Mom always said it was adorable.

"Oh no…" Was all his dad whispered, watching as the drawbridge came down, allowing the villagers to march into the castle gates. "Clementine…" Thatch always thought it was weird when his dad and mom called each other by their names- but he supposed that's how it was supposed to be. Dad had always told Thatch his mom's name was beautiful and perfect for her. It meant something like mild and merciful. Maybe that's why his mom always forgave him when he accidentally messed up?

"Dad? Is mom ok?" Thatch whimpered, running up to his dad's legs, clinging to them tightly. The small child could feel his dad was tense, but he felt so protected by his side, the cloak almost wrapping around him as well as his father. He felt such comfort here- but it could only do so much.

He was hearing screams of panic, pain, and hate. Pain and panic from his family- the servants. He didn't want to know what was happening, but the hateful yells were filling the air, hurting his ears. "Dad!" Thatch cried softly.

His father leaned down and lifted Thatch up, holding him tightly as he started to rush down the spiral stars. "We need to get to your mother!" He said swiftly, resting one hand on the cool, stone wall to keep his balance as he ran down the stairs. The other kept Thatch close to his chest. The small vampire, in turn, clung to his dad's chest, his eyes on the bat clasp that kept his dad's favorite cloak on.

Was it because they were different? What was wrong with being different? Ok so they had sharp teeth, so what? Yeah, they liked the color black- it was soothing. Sure they drank blood, it was the best way to get their nutrition. The servants didn't mind giving it so what was the big deal?! And course his daddy wore a cloak, it looked epic! Plus, who didn't like bats anyways?

"Daddy, one of the maids said there is a priest? What's that?"

"Not now, Thatch. Keep your head down." He ordered as they reached the bottom. Thatch clung tightly but did not heed his order. His wide, pure innocent eyes looked down the hall, seeing the slaughter. Their servants were in a panic, some fleeing and some fighting. Villagers with torches and pitchforks were attacking. Thatch could see Crystal, the one that had warned them of the intruders, laying on the ground, her eyes having no life to them. A pitchfork was sticking out of her chest, blood soaking her once pretty uniform. He could only see her dead eyes looking directly at them, her hand still outreached as if she was trying to warn them still.

Run.

Thatch didn't see much else, his father ducked down into the connecting hall and ran, screaming his mother's name. It was unsettling to hear his dad raise his voice, let alone be screaming.

"Vincent!" His mother called out, she was in the library, and behind her were several maids, all clutching to each other in fear.

"Oh, thank the stars above…" His father whispered to himself as he hurried over. He wrapped his free arm around his wife's hips, pulling her close. She hugged to him and Thatch, giving them both kisses.

"My sweet boys… we must flee, now! They set the lounge on fire, it will spread."

"The walls are made of stone, they will last-"

"We cannot stay! Vincent, Thatch cannot survive the flames! He is but a child." She pleaded. His father nodded quickly, his gaze going over to the maids.

"The servant halls, we can escape through them."

"Wait, what about home?" Thatch whimpered softly. "Daddy? Are we really leaving?"

"Yes little bat, we're leaving but only until the flames die down." He sadly spoke. It was then that Thatch could smell the smoke. The fire's glow was starting to reach down the halls, the smoke rising and filling the air. It smelled awful. The flames were eating the long draping curtains, the glowing fire growing and reaching all the way from floor to ceiling as it continues to engulf the castle. Vincent moved his cloak to cover Thatch more, which made the child grateful. It helped block out the awful smell.

He stayed there, clinging to his father as he, his mother and the remaining servants used one of the back hallways to escape into the garden. He could see his beloved rose bushes and his pond where his pet fish lived- but there was a strange man in white robes standing before them, a strange 't' shaped symbol laying upon his chest…

Everything went hazy, all he knew was that he was in terrible pain. Everything in his sight was blurry, his chest felt like it was on fire. Suddenly he was dropping onto the ground, the cold grass giving him a shock. He gasped and cried, trying to lift his head despite the pain.

He could barely make out shapes, but he could tell who was his dad. His dad was amazing with his dark cloak and white hair- recognizable from afar. He could just see the blurry image of his dad fighting with that strange man, there was a lot of yelling.

The maids seemed unaffected by everything- why were they not in pain? Thatch rolled onto his stomach, gasping as he tried to crawl towards his dad. He was the only thing recognizable right now. He wanted to be held again, comforted and told it was fine. The villagers didn't mean to do this, maybe they were mad about something that could be fixed… Surely they could fix it…

He reached out towards his dad, gasping for air. He couldn't make out much, but he saw this exchange. It will forever be burned into his mind.

His dad's glistening fangs ripping into the priest's throat, ripping it out as the priest shoved something into his dad's chest at the same time… then, that was it. His dad was gone, ash in the wind.

The priest, on the other hand, fell to the ground, unmoving as he choked and gurgled on his own blood, drowning as the red liquid flooded his lungs. His head was still swimming, but his lungs no longer burned. That man- he had been causing the pain? He didn't know… He just felt his small body be lifted off the ground, one of the maids clutching him to herself.

He could barely see his mother being helped up by the other maids… He could barely see, feel or think… His eyes shut and he blacked out, his body too sore and overwhelmed by the smoke and pain. Everything changed after that.


	8. He's Not Welcomed

Chapter 8: He's Not Welcomed

"And that was it… when I woke the castle was empty, a few things were on fire but other than the dead bodies one would think nothing had happened... Only a few things survived that night… Mom, me and the few servants alive tried our best to clean the place up. We fixed the bridge, replaced the lost doors and just… tried to keep on living. That's where we are now. The village never bothered us again…" Thatch sighed heavily, not lifting his gaze from the pond.

"Thatch I…" Casper could barely speak. He never imagined something like this. Thatch saw such horrors Casper could barely imagine. This could only explain so much; no wonder Thatch hated fleshies so much. They took so much from him. "I'm sorr-"

"If you say sorry I swear I'll bite you." He hissed. Thatch annoyedly kicked the water, causing it to splash and ripple which startled the once peaceful fish- who swam right to the other side of the pond to avoid the danger. "It's not your fault, stupid ghost. It's those damn fleshies… Awful things they are." He sighed, leaning more against the ghost as he calmed himself after a few tense moments. None of this was Casper's fault so he shouldn't be bad to the poor ghost. "Thanks for listening, Casper… it was nice talking about it." He carefully admitted.

"I… a-anytime. I'm good at listening." Casper smiled. The ghost contently rested beside Thatch, gazing into the pond. It was nice to bring comfort to someone, and he felt a bit of pride knowing that Thatch trusted him enough to confide in him. "I think fleshies might have gotten more understanding…"

"You found one good fleshie, fine cool whatever. When you get a group of them they're mindless murderers. Never trust them, Casper." He warned, but Casper just couldn't believe him. No way all fleshies were bad. Surely they could all be friends. He had once been human after all, but that was so long ago now. Thatch had never been human, he was born a vampire. Casper knew he couldn't explain it to Thatch, he simply wouldn't get it. Thatch just had to trust Casper and listen.

They didn't get to talk much more, for they heard a window snap open behind them. Casper could just see Thatch tense, his eyes wide as he froze like a deer in headlights. Caught.

"Thatch! Thatch Vincent Manora!" His dear mother screamed angrily out the window. And now terror struck the vampire. The middle name only meant one thing: He was in so much fucking trouble. He was a dead man walking now. No child could survive being called by their full name. He was going to see hell soon surely.

Yet the vampire tried his best to be brave. He turned around to face the house, pulling his feet out of the pond as he put on the most innocent smile he could. He didn't dare move any closer, just sitting by the calming pond and trying to look as innocent as he could as he sat beside Casper.

"Y-yes, mom!" He called back. Casper could see the vampire was utterly terrified.

"Who is with you, who got within the gates!? Thatch come inside this instant!" She yelled shrilly. Her black painted nails were digging into the wooden window frame, looking more like claws. She was gritting her teeth and Casper could see her two sharp fangs. It was hard to tell if her expression was one of anger, or fear. Something told Casper she was more scared than anything.

"N-no mom, it's ok! He's a friend from school." He tried to reason. The vampire child stood up, grabbing his socks and shoes before he dragged himself over to the window- leaving his cloak by the waterside. "His name is Casper mom, he's from Scare School."

"Scare School?" She turned up her nose, a frown pressed deep to her lips. "That awful place that stole you?" She hissed coldly. "So you did actually make a friend there- I'm…" It was hard to read her emotions, but for a moment Casper thought he saw relief, maybe joy even. She was happy that Thatch made a friend, but that look was gone so quickly Casper thought maybe he just imagined it in the first place. "… Wait, no you didn't." Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly as she watched the guilty vampire child before her. "In all the letters I received it tells me you and Casper are always fighting, he's the one that causes all the trouble for you!"

"We're… we just became friends…?" He smiled sheepishly at his mother. He seemed so small before her- as if he just wanted to curl in on himself and hide from her sight. Thatch almost hated himself for upsetting his mother, after all he was just one big mama's boy. Before they knew Casper was here everything was fine- she had been so loving and Thatch accepted her love full heartedly. But now, Thatch seemed scared, tentative of what he had to say. His mother was a bomb waiting to blow. "I… Casper's here because…"

"Because of what? You know I hate visitors, they're all-"

"M-mom!" Thatch interrupted quickly. "Please, he really is my friend. He's kind, trust me. He was forced into Scare School too." Thatch whined weakly. His dear mother frowned down at him, then simply shut the window and curtains. Seems she had nothing more to say to the young vampire. But, the ghost happened to notice her expression had changed every so slightly when she learned Casper was forced into the school as well. "We.. we should go inside Casper." The vampire muttered, turning back to the ghost boy.

"I'm sorry Thatch, I know I shouldn't have followed you." Casper sighed. He picked up Thatch's cloak and carried it over to the vampire, who quickly took it and held it to his chest- like a child clinging to their favorite blankie. "She seemed so… different than before." Casper mumbled softly. The change in his mother was a bit nerve-racking. At least Casper always knew what mood his uncles would be in.

"She really, really hates guests. Let alone surprise guests. No one is allowed inside the castle walls- she has been isolated ever since our last maid died of old age… Then Kibosh took me to Scare School… She has a right to hate strangers- but I wish she could be more understanding." Thatch openly said. Casper has earned enough trust for the closed off vampire to reveal his thoughts, worries, and past. So much had changed in the last few days- and Casper wouldn't change a thing.

The ghost boy weakly smiled, following Thatch back around to the front of the house. Casper went ahead and fazed through the doors while Thatch pulled the heavy oak doors open. Once inside Casper helped close them. His mother was there waiting in the shadow, her faded violet eyes shining in the dark. Casper was feeling nervous, so he kept by Thatch, partly hiding behind him in fear. His mother was nothing like before- he felt like something bad might happen any moment.

Thatch looked up at his mother, weakly smiling. "Mom, meet Casper-I brought him." Thatch lied without hesitating. "I wanted you to meet my new friend."

"Why didn't you mention him before?" She sighed heavily, not moving from her favored spot.

"I wanted to ease the meeting because you're always so untrusting of strangers. I was going to have you meet him as soon as possible, but the chance never came up. I'm sorry." He moved away from Casper and entered the shadows with Clementine, wrapping his arms around his mother in a tight hug. "Trust me, you'll like him. Just try to understand, please?" He softly begged. Was Thatch begging to protect Casper? What a strange sight…

Casper smiled shyly and waved to the vampire mother, hoping to ease the situation and help out Thatch. It didn't seem to be working, but it also didn't seem to go badly… Thatch's mother leaned down, whispering something to her son before she ruffled his hair and walked away, fading into the shadows and out of sight. Thatch softly sighed, carefully exiting the dark shadows and returning back to Casper by the door.

"You can stay for the rest of the weekend." He smiled gently. "Don't expect to have meals with her, she's too shy…" He tried to cover up for her. "Come on, let's go to my room." He offered. Casper nodded and took Thatch's hand, allowing the vampire to guide him down the dark hallways. None of the torches were lit, leaving the castle in an eerie dark shadow. It felt like something was always around the corner, watching and waiting. Thatch never seemed to notice or made any signs that he thought this. Even if their steps echoed in the empty halls, even if the shadows seemed to flicker Thatch paid no mind. Casper started to wonder if this castle was haunted- wait was he scared of other ghosts? Did ghosts live in this castle? Thatch made no mention of anything so maybe it was all in his head. He just took Casper back to his bedroom.

"You need some new clothes, huh? What a mess." The vampire sighed with a smile. He released the ghost's hand and went over to his closet, on his way picking up a candle from his desk so he can peer into the dark space. He walked in, searching in his walk-in closet, and from what Casper could see there was more than just white shirts and black pants. There was a lot of clothes, ranging from when Thatch was a baby all the way up to now. All the baby clothes seemed to be in the far back, forgotten and covered in dust. Casper hovered a bit closer, peering in and watched as the vampire was ever so carefully choosing items and matching them up.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting you some damn clothes, you're walking around naked again!" Thatch rolled his eyes. "Most of these won't even fit you, I should just take you into town and get you some proper clothes… Ugh" He mumbled softly. "Maybe tomorrow… I'm awfully tired. At least tomorrow is Sunday, we can sleep in I suppose." He softly hummed in thought, walking out of his closet with an armful of clothes. "I know this one shop, run by this old lady. She's pretty much blind and won't be able to tell a thing if we just walked in. She has some nice stuff too, bet we can make you actually look proper for once." He sassed effortlessly.

Casper had no clue what he was getting himself into.

He and Thatch stayed up for at least the next hour, dressing Casper up in Thatch's old clothes. Everything was to Thatch's option. If Thatch didn't like a look he would take it off and make Casper try something else. Casper was starting to feel like a dress-up doll- but it was fine. He and Thatch were laughing and having fun the whole time so it was all ok. Thatch seemed to be enjoying himself as he tried to find the perfect look for the ghost.

They went through so many styles. From tailored suits that were just too big for the ghost to more modern looking clothes like jeans and a graphic T-Shirt, nothing seemed to work. By the time they finished, they had gone through most of Thatch's closet and not just the clothes the vampire had pulled out.

Casper was wearing a comfy oversized white shirt- deciding that would do for some PJ's for the night while Thatch was actually wearing some proper bedclothes. Casper didn't exactly know where to sleep, and it only occurred to him he was going to be sleeping in the vampire's bed when Thatch climbed into bed and scooched over to assure there was enough room for him.

"Come on, in bed." He spoke as if it was the most obvious thing in the whole world. With a wave of his hand, the candles in the room all went out, earning a frightened gasp from Casper.

"How'd you do that?" He nervously asked as he hurriedly climbed into the bed, having trouble seeing in the darkened room. He swiftly got under the fluffy covers, pulling them up to cover his mouth and nose as he peered around the dark room like a frightened fleshie.

"Mom taught it to me about a year ago. It's one of the few things I can do… Mom says I won't be able to do all the cool vampire stuff until I'm a teen." Thatch grumbled and laid back on the bed, seeming pretty content and unaware of Casper's discomfort. "Lay down already. We need sleep." He yawned and stretched. The blue-eyed monster was a bit nervous to follow orders, but he soon laid down on his half of the bed.

Casper was feeling panic. He was in bed with Thatch, sharing the same blanket and everything! The ghost shifted, turning to face Thatch in the dark room. The vampire had nuzzled into his pillow, sighing as he closed his eyes. "I'll make up some excuse to the headmasters when we head back. I'll make sure you don't get in trouble." Thatch softly mumbled. "Is everything comfortable?" He asked after a few moments.

Casper glanced off, shifting a bit on the large bed. The mattress was soft, along with the fluffed up feather pillows. The comforter also had a nice weight to it, reminding him of his own home. "Yeah… Yeah, it's great." He shyly smiled and laughed. In the dark Casper carefully reached out, his hand finding its way to Thatch's chest, gently gripping onto his nightshirt. "Thatch?"

"Want another hug?" He smiled, chuckling softly. "I know it's you that likes them, Casper."

"You do like them, right?"

"...Yeah." Thatch mumbled softly. "Come here," he ordered softly. He lifted the covers more, motioning for the ghost to move closer. Casper obeyed and moved closer as ordered, resting his head on Thatch's chest as he nuzzled close, sighing softly as he shut his eyes. The ghost could feel the vampire wrap his arms around his smaller body.

They laid like that for awhile, both at peace with the other. Casper felt protected in Thatch's arms- the vampire could protect him from all the bad things. But, it wasn't long before he could hear the moans and sobs echoing in the castle walls. Casper tensed and grasped onto the vampire as he lifted his head, looking towards the bedroom door. Thatch's grip only became tighter, keeping the ghost boy close.

"Thatch?"

"It's ok… It's just mom." Thatch softly whispered. The vampire started to let go so Casper quickly clung to Thatch, shaking his head.

"Please don't go."

"She's my mom." Thatch tried to reason, but the ghost only clung tighter. Thatch seemed conflicted. He wished to go to his mother, to comfort her as he so often did, but Casper couldn't be left alone if he was scared. "You're such a scaredy-cat…" He grumbled, but stayed put, hugging Casper as they laid on his large bed together. "Nothing can hurt you here, you're safe." He whispered soothingly, trying to bring some sort of comfort. "I'll keep you safe." As the vampire spoke, the world around them was growing darker. Casper's eyes started to droop, and before the ghost child knew it he was fast asleep in Thatch's arms. Thatch could only smile, glad he could bring comfort to the ghost… But once Casper was peacefully asleep, Thatch slowly released his grip and replaced himself with one of his pillows, hoping Casper could just stay asleep as he went to his mom.

He just couldn't stay with the ghost while he heard his mother's sobs. So with a heavy heart he left the room, careful to be as silent as he could lest he disturbed Casper. He knew he would be back- well maybe… He just hoped Casper would sleep until then.


	9. Town Outing

Chapter 9: Town Outing

Casper woke up alone in the big bed, ever so alone. The ghost slowly sat up, his eyes scanning the room but he saw no sign of Thatch. The room was cold and empty, but the curtains were open letting in the sunlight. Seems Thatch woke up early and just didn't bother to awake the ghost or something. Casper slowly slid out of the bed, leaving the warm comfort of the sheets behind as he looked around the room, making sure to check the corners of the ceiling to see if Thatch was just hanging upside down in his batform.

With no sign of Thatch in the room, the ghost sighed, running his fingers through his soft blue hair. It was only then Casper noticed on the foot of the large bed was an outfit laid out for him. With a smile the ghost boy went over, picking it up- oh what was this…?

Casper's brows furrowed and he laid it out on the bed, trying to see what it was exactly. It was utterly ancient. There was a white button-up shirt- but that was to be covered with a long, darkly colored vest with matching boy shorts. Then knee high socks and even matching colored shoes- something a rich boy would have worn in olden times. Was Casper really suppose to wear this?!

It seemed to be his size as well- which they had discovered last night during their little raid of Thatch's closet. It seemed to be in good shape too, in fact, it looked almost new, handmade even? Was Thatch dressing like this all the way up until now? And if so, why did he change clothes to go to Scare School? That bat was an utter mystery at times. Plus, thinking Thatch would dress this way just didn't seem possible. Thatch… in shorts? No way.

Casper looked around the room desperately one more time, but there was no Thatch. Would it be considered rude not to wear the clothes given? Most likely… so Casper sucked it up and started to get dressed in the outdated attire, socks and all. Casper was only getting used to wearing basic items due to Thatch giving Casper a shirt and pants, but to be wearing a very stiff, outdated outfit was just beyond weird. But, he had wished to become closer to the vampire and this was the cost. Outdated clothes.

Once dressed the ghost boy walked out of the room, finding it odd his steps now made a sound. Wearing clothes was weird, he felt weighed down by them. But, he had to admit they didn't look too terrible now that he was actually wearing them. He could get used to this, maybe. For now, he could deal with it…

Casper started to walk down the eerie hallways. It was impossible to tell if it was night or day with all the curtains shut and none of the torches lit. There was one grandfather clock he could see, but it was partly covered by a white sheet haphazardly tossed over it. The ghost had the feeling he wasn't allowed to touch it, so he didn't. His presence wasn't welcomed in this castle. It was best not to overstep anymore than he already had.

As the ghost explored the castle he soon saw a soft glowing light. He followed it, and upon entering he was in the kitchen. It was large, with several stoves (now covered in dust). This place could be beautiful, if only it was taken care of. Now it was just old and forgotten despite the two vampires still living here. On the prepping table- where normally the food was prepared was a big, dead stag. Its stomach was cut and blood was freely flowing from its body. There was a groove in the table, collecting the blood and having it all drain off into a well-placed bucket. Thatch was sitting at the kitchen counter, waiting as his mother softly hummed and got him a glass of blood.

"Think this will due for now? I know you said you're getting awfully low on blood as of late..." She sweetly smiled, offering Thatch the glass. The vampire didn't look too happy with the drink but willingly took it.

"I hope so," Thatch knew deer blood was clean, but it wasn't the same as human blood, plus it didn't have as much nutrition in it. "I've actually eaten all my blood packets. Mom, they don't offer blood at the school!"

"No blood offered to a vampire? What an idiotic thing to do, do they wish my baby to starve!? I'll send some packets to the school right away." She hissed, turning her nose up at the very thought. "I swear that ghost Kibosh has no clue how real monsters have to survive! Ghosts are simply the worst."

"...Not all of them." Thatch softly muttered as he drinks his meal. "Casper is nice…"

"Oh well maybe he is my dear, but does he eat? No. Does he dress? No- he arrived here naked for stars sake! Honestly, ghosts have no clue what it's like to be alive anymore, hard to believe they were ever human…" She went on before her attention was drawn back to the real problem at hand. "My poor baby bat, I swear if they starve you I'll bring hell down upon them!" She turned her back to Thatch, her heeled shoes clicking lightly on the floor as she went back over to the poor dead stag to continue draining the once mighty creature.

"Mom you can't fight Kibosh, he rules the underworld." Thatch whined childishly from his seat.

"No fury like a mother's scorn, my sweet bat. Nothing can beat a mother's anger." She almost cooed to her child with a smile. Thatch just looked down and continued to drink, trying not to smile. He really missed his mother's affection and protection. The vampire child raised his gaze to watched his mother once more, seeing how she used a knife to cut the stag in a different location, careful to drain it of all its blood. "Tsk, I'll have to get a hook so I can drain these things easier. I hate hunting, but this guy was an easy catch. He was old, near the end of his life anyway." She hummed, as if almost trying to comfort Thatch.

"... I'm still sad it had to die." Thatch sighed as he averted his gaze from the creature, uncomfortable with its dead eyes staring at him. He always loved it when the deer would graze in the forest nearby. He would hang out on the castle wall, watching the does and their sweet baby fawns drew near. He often planted strawberry bushes near the walls just to encourage the creatures to come closer.

"Oh, honey… I know you love these things but you must eat. I wouldn't dare go after a human, these things just must be done." She reminded him calmly. As the blood ran once more from the stag she returned back to Thatch, ruffling up his hair. The child hadn't bothered to brush his hair at all that morning, so he looked a bit unkempt. But he was at least dressed nicely.

He wore some nice black pants, matching black shoes and a white shirt with a red vest with a nice tailored black coat over top. He looked like a little mini adult from the Victorian times- it was rather cute if one was to be honest.

" Everything fits you nicely, right? I didn't know if you grew any." His mother softly pondered, lightly straightening his tailored jacket once she came to his side, examining him with care..

"It fits fine ma'." Thatch smiled and set down his glass of blood. It was only then when the vampire saw Casper shyly standing by the doorway, as if waiting for an invitation to enter. "Oh! You're awake." Thatch smiled and motioned for the ghost to come on in. "Sorry I didn't wake you, you just looked so tired." The vampire justified.

"Thatch… is he wearing your old clothes?" His mother asked, trying to suppress a smile as the ghost boy walked into the room, heading for Thatch's side. Maybe ghosts could dress nicely after all.

"Yeah. These ones are a bit too small for me now, but they fit Casper just fine. And since you didn't want him walking around naked I figured he could borrow them. I want to take Casper into town today- to the blind lady," He quickly spoke as his mother looked like she was about to protest. "The old, OLD lady near the edge of town. Has that small tailor shop? She's pretty blind mom, she won't notice anything weird like last time. I just want to get Casper some clothes so he won't be going around naked anywhere." Thatch weakly smiled. His mother still didn't seem so sure about the boys going into town.

"What if any of the others see you, Thatch? You can get into some trouble, oh what if they try to hurt you?"

"Mom I can fly now, I'll be fine." He reasoned. "I flew all the way here, I'll be fine I swear. It'll be an hour or two at the most, promise!"

"... Finish your breakfast." Was all Clementine said before she turned away. Thatch lightly pouted, but it was only brief. Now that Casper was here he had to act stronger. The vampire looked back to the ghost boy, looking him up and down carefully.

"Not bad," he approved. He then continued to drink his glass of blood, seeming rather calm about the situation. Casper could only smile, feeling heat rise to his face at the violet-eyed monster's approval. Maybe wearing clothes wasn't so bad…

"Casper do you need to eat?" Thatch tentatively asked. Casper found that question hard to explain…

Yes, ghosts could eat. Not just throw it in their mouths and it falls out the other side- like his uncles did to scare some fleshies. Ghosts could actually eat if they so pleased, but there was no need to eat. They didn't need to have any nutrients, but it was nice tasting food. If he lost his sense of taste Casper knew he would go crazy- he loved food way too much to ever want not want to eat.

"Um, yeah, sure?" Casper weakly replied. He just didn't know how to answer. Thatch nodded with a smile.

"We can go pick some strawberries." He offered before sliding off his seat, having finished his glass of blood.

"Wait, Thatch, can't you stay in the castle walls at least?" The vampiress gently questioned.

"The bushes are just outside mom, it'll be fine." He laughed lightly and headed to the kitchen door that leads out to the side of the house. There was a small cobble path that had a rickety bridge that leads deeper into the forest before it wrapped back around to the town. They never had the food brought in through the front, too messy. So they just had a backdoor for supplies to enter- most people forgot it even existed because only the servants ever used it.

Clementine looked concerned, wringing a blood-stained rag in her hands as she watched her dear Thatch leave the kitchen. She stepped back, flinching lightly as a few rays of light only entered the room. She stayed in the shadows, sadly watching the door hang open, letting in the sounds of the morning birds singing.

Casper felt awkward just standing there, so he weakly offered a smile. "I'll make sure Thatch doesn't go far Mrs. Manora."

"It's Madam Manora." She hissed, turning her back to the ghost as she returned back to the stag, picking up the large carving knife. Casper decided it was best if he hurried out of there right away. An angry vampire with a knife is something he did not want to be around.

As he left the kitchen he shut the door behind himself just to assure the light wasn't going to bother Thatch's mother. When he turned back he could see the vampire had already opened the back gate which gave him access to the old, nearly rotten bridge.

"Come on!" Thatch yelled carelessly as he started to run across. With every step the vampire made the wood creaked and groaned, threatening to break. But the vampire made it across with no problems. Casper followed suit, the wood barely making any sound as he crossed it.

It was nice being a ghost with little to no weight.

Once Casper had crossed the bridge as well Thatch softly laughed, his voice being carried in the gentle breeze. Casper froze up, watching the vampire hurry over to the fruit bushes. They looked so old, their vines and branches sprawling out, trying to climb the old castle's walls.

Thatch removed his tailored coat, using it more as a makeshift bag by holding the edges, placing the strawberries he deemed good into the pouch. Something about this seemed all natural and calm. Was this the real Thatch? Not the bully that liked to shove people around and laugh. But a calmer, happier vampire without the need to be popular or liked.

"Come help me," the vampire softly laughed, looking over at the frozen ghost. "These are your strawberries anyways." He reminded. "Get some of the ones on the higher branches."

Casper weakly nodded and walked over to Thatch before he floated up, carefully picking some of the big thick ripe berries before dropping them, letting the vampire catch them. It started to become a game after a bit, how many Casper could drop and how many Thatch could catch. So far Thatch wasn't missing any- until the ghost started to drop them in different directions.

The vampire rushed around below Casper, enjoying their little game of catch until his coat was weighed down by at least 5 pounds of strawberries. They had stripped many branches of the overgrown bush- but that was only one bush. There was at least two dozen more that Casper could see, all lining the back wall of this castle.

"I think we're good." Thatch huffed, lifting up the bundle of strawberries. "Let's head inside and wash these off. Maybe we can make a cake or something?" He pondered lightly, following the floating ghost.

By the time they got the strawberries washed and all the leaves removed it was around lunchtime, though Thatch didn't seem too hungry because he kept sneaking bites of the strawberries. Course Casper couldn't say anything because he snuck one here and there too.

"Maybe we can make some shortcakes?" Thatch offered. He stood up on a stool, reaching up into one of the cabinets above the sink.

"Careful, let me help." Casper floated over, opening up the cabinet with one hand while the other rested on Thatch's shoulder to help keep him steady. Inside the cabinet was a huge, dusty recipe book.

"Crystal use to make the best shortcakes. I think we can mimic her old recipe." Thatch hummed as he stood on the tips of his toes, reaching in and pulling out the heavy book. Casper helped Thatch keep his balance, then helped him back down off the stool with the large book. Casper found it almost pleasing how well the two seemed to be getting along, trusting in each other and helping with very little words spoke between them. It was a nice sort of bond that had formed- and Casper didn't even know when it really started to happen. It just did.

As Thatch searched the pages of the book Casper closed the cabinet and finished washing and picking the stems off of the strawberries.

"Hmmn, We'll need… Oh, we don't have this." Thatch softly murmured. "We'll have to head into town Casper. We need some milk to make this." He muttered softly. "Set the strawberries out to dry and we'll head out."

"Are you sure that's ok? You mother seemed upset by the idea."

"It's fine Casper." He assured the ghost, even if his eyes quickly scanned the room to see if she was nearby. "We'll be quick, in and out of town in no time."

"You love breaking the rules."

"Rules don't apply to me." The vampire smirked. "I'm the prince of this castle after all." He said cockily. Casper resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Thatch could be so arrogant, but it was rather amusing how Thatch carried himself. If he thought himself a prince then fine- whatever why not. He did live in a castle.

Thatch set his tailored jacket on the back of a chair to dry off- it had gotten a bit wet when the tail end of it fell into the sink. Totally Thatch's fault even if the vampire denied it.

The duo then left through the back gate again- not because Thatch was afraid of getting caught, as Casper claimed. Thatch claimed simply because it was better… obviously. Clearly, Thatch had no fears of breaking the rules- even if the violet-eyed monster kept looking behind them every few steps.

It wasn't until the castle was out of sight did the vampire stop looking around. As they passed through the magical barrier Casper floated, looking back to where the castle was almost perfectly hidden. "Thatch, can you explain that to me again?"

"Um, sure…" Thatch muttered, not looking back. He needed to focus on where they were going, it was easy to get lost. "My dad made that barrier before he died. It's powered by something in the castle- I don't know what. Dad had some sort of secret lab below the cellar but no matter where I look I can't find the entrance. But it's fine I guess. Mom is still confused to this day how the fleshies found our castle all those years ago… Maybe they had a map?" He softly murdered. "I don't know how though. The only people who knew the castle location was the servants. We always sent them out into town and they brought things back… But anyways, about the barrier." He corrected himself. "It'll last as long as the power source does."

Casper nodded in understanding, floating beside the vampire as he listened to him explain. "Maybe I can help you find this secret lab? I can float through the walls and floor." He offered.

"But you hate doing that…"

"... I'll do it for you." The ghost boy admitted, his blue eyes looking far ahead.

"Thanks," the vampire softly spoke after a moment. Those were words rarely uttered by Thatch, so it felt nice to hear them. The vampire always seemed to mean it when he said it too- it made Casper's nonexistent heart pound in his chest.

As they left the forest the town was right in sight, really close in fact. Thatch straightened his clothes and chuckled. "Keep close ghost boy." He warned. He hurried along the paved path, heading to one of the buildings around the outside of the town. It was rickety, made out of wood. It looked terribly old, the wood creaking with the wind. The two walked up to the door but failed to notice they were being watched. The second they left the forest a pair of blue eyes had been watching their every move.

As they stepped inside a bell above the door wiggled and ringed, letting out a pleasant sound. The tailor shop was full of racks and racks of clothes. Some as old as the shop, and some as new as Thatch's chained pants he wore to school.

The feeble old lady who owned and ran the shop was sitting in a rocking chair near the cash register, fast asleep with some sort of rodent in her lap… a guinea pig? Her hair had gone white, though the roots seemed to be of a darker color. Her rounded glasses were terribly thick and falling down her button nose constantly, barely able to stay on as she dozed. She looked pale, but was covered in faded freckles everywhere- her face was nearly all freckles honestly. Despite being an old lady she wore bright orange. Her dress went down to her feet, and she had green slippers underneath. Thatch made no comment on her strange look. Instead, he went up to the counter and cleared his throat.

"Madam Krimzon?" The vampire spoke up.

"Ehhh…" Her tired voice came. She sat up in her rocking chair, pushing up her large glasses as she peered down at the child vampire. The guinea pig in her lap wheeked unhappily with the movement and seemed distressed by the vampire and ghost. The old lady just petted it's white fur to sooth the creature. "Oh, young lad… It's you. You're home, I thought your private school went for a while longer…" She tiredly spoke.

"Yes, madam. But I came home to see my mom for the weekend, I also brought a friend. I was hoping to get him some new clothes." Thach smiled kindly.

"Oh right… yes yes, deary me…" She shifted, sliding out of the chair and held her dear pet in her arms. The guinea pig seemed displeased with being moved, wiggling its nose at the monsters in distaste.

Casper nervously watched, partly hidden behind Thatch. This was so foolishly dangerous. The ghost watched as the 'Krimzon' lady placed the pig in its cage behind the cash register, telling the creature named 'Gilbert' to calm down and go rest with 'Gupta', which was a black guinea pig in the cage as well. As the old lady started to hobble across the floor Thatch calmly followed suit, heading deeper into the cramped store.

Casper could only follow while trying to keep himself calm. Oh, if they ever got caught they would be in so much trouble!

"Let's see here… Would he like newer clothes, or perhaps your taste in style my dear?" she asked kindly.

"Oh, well…" Thatch glanced back at Casper, his eyes carefully trailing over the ghost and his clothes. "... Newer." Thatch in the end decided. "He's wearing some of my old clothes. I want to see him in a different style."

"Yes yes… Does he want that?" Krimzon chuckled airily. Casper personally thought she sounded like a tire deflating when she spoke. He was expecting to see dust fly out of her mouth any minute.

"Oh, uh, anything Thatch wants is ok," Casper muttered softly. Thatch seemed to know what looked good on the ghost, so Casper was more than eager to agree to what the vampire wished. The blue-eyed ghost reached out, gently grabbing onto Thatch's sleeve just to assure he didn't get lost in this mess of a shop.

"Thatch…?" Casper whispered. "I thought we were only getting milk."

"I said I would take you clothes shopping." He reminded the ghost. "It'll be quick. One or two outfits then we'll get the milk and head home." He promised easily.

Casper wasn't sure about this, but he could only nod and go along with what the vampire wanted. He didn't remember the way back to the DeedsTown, and even then Cappy wouldn't be there until Monday morning.

"I think I found something…" The old lady giggled…

Casper swore to never go clothes shopping with Thatch again. They spent at least an hour trying on so many different outfits Casper could barely remember any of them! His brain was mush and he felt like a doll to the vampire.

Try this on. Nope, not that. Ok, try this. No, not THAT!

It was maddening! But by the end Thatch had settled on two outfits to get the ghost, just as promised. Thatch paid for the clothes with a few gold coins he had in his pocket. The old lady didn't even seem to notice what they were as she put them in the register and wished them a nice day as they left. What a strange fleshie.

Thatch carried the bag for Casper, seeming rather pleased with himself. "Now we can go get the milk from the town center. I know they have a nice little town market of sorts still."

"Thatch, this is a town full of fleshies!" Casper reminded. "Don't you think this is dangerous? Ok, so we tricked an old lady- whatever. There's going to be normal fleshies in there." Casper sighed.

"Yes yes, I know. So we wear cloaks!"

"...Cloaks?"

Thatch nodded and reached into the bag. "I went ahead and bought us some cloaks too. Hooded ones of course. Come put one on." He said as he pulled out a black cloak, offering it to Casper. The ghost sighed and took it even as he shook his head.

"Thatch, I don't know about this. No one wears cloaks anymore."

"No one wears cloaks? How dumb! How do they defend against the weather then?" Thatch laughed and put his new cloak on. "It's fine Casper. We'll fit right in. Not all towns are advanced as Deedstown."

"... Deedstown is rather average…" Casper sighed. Ugh, even in the time Casper was alive no one wore cloaks. Thatch was terribly out of touch. It was almost cute if their lives weren't on the line for some milk.

"You monsters aren't that smart." A voice cut through the air. "I thought vampires and ghosts were supposed to be old and wise. You two look like kids, and are dumber than a rock."

The vampire and ghost quickly moved closer to each other, looking around the empty area. No one could be seen until some strange human girl stepped out from behind a tree. She wore a long purple dress with a black belt around her hips along with some black boots to defend against the mud- which always seemed to form wherever there wasn't pavement in this pitiful place called a town. On her back she carried a simple black backpack with tons of color buttons clipped onto it.

Her black hair was neatly brushed back, away from her observant blue eyes. Her arms were crossed over her chest, watching the monsters. "I could scream and the whole town will hear…" She lightly pondered.

"Wait no!" Thatch quickly spoke up, moving so he was in front of Casper. "Don't scream, we're not here to hurt any fleshies…?" He weakly defended. Ugh, Thatch was terrible when dealing with humans. Casper decided to take over.

"We don't mean any harm, we just want some milk from the market to make some strawberry shortcake." He smiled kindly. "I'm Casper, what's your name?"

"Angelina." She bluntly said, rolling her eyes as she blew a bubble with her gum. So far she seemed to be taking to Casper more, of course. "You both have a death wish entering this town. Especially a vampire. Surely you know of the old tales?"

"Old tales?" Thatch raised a brow, causing the human to roll her eyes.

"Dumb as rocks… Come on you two, let's get out of the open. You're lucky I'm helping you. It's not cause I pity you, it's cause I find monsters interesting, even if they're dumb as rocks." She muttered and turned away. "Keep up." She ordered and hurried along. Thatch looked to the ghost nervously, but Casper was much more trusting in fleshies than the vampire so he only flashed a smile and followed Angelina, Thatch reluctantly in tow.


	10. A Not So Helpful Fleshie

Chapter 10: A Not So Helpful Fleshie

The strange fleshie led them into the town park- currently abandoned as most of the kids were playing at each other's houses, probably on their computers or the like. She went over to the playground and the two monsters were nervous to follow, but what choice did they have? Casper wanted to do this the safest way possible, and Thatch was just hoping to get out of town mostly unseen- which meant this fleshie can't scream or they would be exposed.

The black haired fleshie led them into the cover of the playground set, the plastic walls bleached by the sun had lost their yellow color ages ago while the brown walkways were losing their layers of paint, showing the gray metal it was actually made out of. It didn't look like a friendly place, and from the cobwebs hanging around no one played here anymore. The fleshie sat down by what used to be a red slide, now a paled to an awful pink.

"No one comes here, we'll be safe right here. This is the only place in the park where we can't be spotted from the street as well." She assured the two monsters with ease. Plus the overhead 'roof' provided some nice shade.

"Listen here, we just want-"

"What Thatch is trying to say is we're glad you stopped us. But we really just wanted to make this trip quick, we just need some milk from the town market." Casper interjected easily. He didn't need Thatch making the only friendly fleshie here with them mad. He rather not get in trouble- plus he could run and hide ever so easily… Thatch could not. The ghost simply didn't want Thatch endangering himself due to his awful attitude.

"Town market…? That's not open for another month, and even then they don't sell milk. That's only sold in stores." She scoffed softly. "Health regulations prevent unmonitored milk from being sold in the market after all. Only grown foods or baked goods are sold there anymore."

"That's dumb!" The vampire hissed, stomping his foot lightly. "Why'd they change it? It was fine the way it was!" He claimed stubbornly.

"It's been that way since, ever, you brat." She rolled her eyes. She didn't seem to be fearing the vampire at all- but Casper couldn't help but to notice Thatch was oddly irritable, and staying away from the human. It looked like the vampire was getting a headache and it was getting worse every second they were here.

"Don't mind him," Casper gently spoke. "Ok, so we'll just go into this store and get some, no big deal." The ghost decided. "Or maybe… If you wouldn't mind, can you go to the store and get it?" Casper wanted to take as little chances as possible. He was starting to wonder if making the shortbread was worth all this trouble. The strawberries were just fine on their own.

"I mean, yeah I could," the female drew out lazily. "But I have questions!" She grinned, pulling a notepad from the backpack on her back. She pulled out a pen and looked at the two expectantly. "What's your names again? I need to take proper notes."

"We don't deal with fleshies." Thatch hissed and grabbed onto Casper, pulling on the ghost. "Come on let's just go. We'll get the milk on our own, we don't need help." He reasoned.

"But, she just wants to ask a few questions, what's the harm?"

"The 'harm' is fleshies aren't supposed to know anything about us!"

"Can you stop calling me a fleshies?" The human frowned. "I have a name you know- I've already told you it!" She clicked her pen repeatedly as she watched them. "It's just a few harmless questions. I've always wanted to invest monsters and learn more about them!"

"So you can kill us?" The vampire lowly growled. Casper shook his head and held onto the vampire.

"Thatch that's a terrible thing to say!"

"She's carrying a damn cross, I can feel it!" The vampire snapped, looking repulsed at the human. Angelina seemed confused, lowered her notepad and pen. After a moment she looked back to her backpack, seeing the small wooden cross hanging from the front zipper. Her school passed them out to all the students.

Thatch hissed like a feral cat as the fleshie removed the cross from her back, his violet eyes watching the object carefully. She turned it over in her hands a few times before she tossed it down the slide so it was out of sight and a good bit away from them. "Better?" She offered calmly.

Thatch seemed terribly distrustful, but no longer as stiff. He shifted, setting the bag of clothes down and kept a grip on Casper still, but it was gentler- more afraid Casper would leave his side now. "... I refuse to answer your questions unless you play our game." He decided. Casper tried his best but he couldn't help but to smile. Thatch was just too cute.

"Ok, fair enough. How does the game go?"

"We ask a question, then you."

"That's not a game."

"Shut up, yes it is!" Thatch huffed childishly. "Me and Casp- my friend play it all the time." He corrected himself. As if he could give out an answer that easily.

Angelina rolled her eyes, clicking her pen a few times in thought before she nodded. She had nothing to lose, and it wasn't like the monsters would gain that much from asking her questions. "Sure. I'll even let you two go first." She offered.

And it looked like Thatch was already stuck. He glanced at the ghost uncertainly, nudging Casper to give the first question. Casper decided to start off kindly. Maybe he could make a new friend here!

"When did you first see us?" He simply asked. Finding where their first mistake was would surely help them from making it again.

"You guys left the forest like a bunch of fools. Anyone could have seen you," she answered in a heartbeat. "I saw you walk into the old tailor shop and just watched from the window. When you came out I didn't plan on talking, but when I saw you fools about to walk right to your deaths I figured I should say something."

"Oh…" Thatch mumbled and looked at Casper, who looked just as uneasy. Yeah, they had been terribly careless leaving the forest. Normally Thatch would have changed into a bat and flew around the treeline for a bit to assure it was safe, but with Casper around he had just gotten so eager to hang out with the ghost.

"My turn. Your names."

"Wrong," Thatch smirked, taking pride in correcting the human. "It has to be a question."

"This is dumb… What are your names?" She said in a mocking voice- matching Thatch's tone almost perfectly.

"I'm Casper, and this is Thatch." The ghost said happily as he looked at the vampire, who rolled his eyes and only shrugged, giving no input. "Ok, our turn… Why are you questioning us?"

"Well, that's a dumb question. You guys suck at your own game."

"No, you suck!" Thatch defended quickly.

"Thatch," Casper softly whispered to scold the vampire. There was no reason to be rude! Honestly, the vampire was being terribly out of hand today. Thatch angrily watched and said nothing more, so Casper turned back to the fleshie. Casper had no issues talking and interacting with fleshies, but the ghost figured Thatch probably never did unless he was scaring them. It honestly wasn't that hard.

"Whatever… I'm questioning you two because I find monsters interesting. Nothing interesting happens around here, not since the old legend of the forest." She hummed softly, calmly taking some notes. Casper couldn't see what she was writing, but he felt really interested. He hoped it was only nice things.

"What's the legend of the forest?" Thatch asked before Casper could think of another question.

"You never heard it? Wow, you monsters must live under a rock… I should have guessed by how you're dressed though." She teased. Thatch looked personally offended. "The forest legend, there was an old vampire family who ruled over this town once, kidnapping poor citizens and enslaving them. Then the remaining villagers marched into the forest and stormed their castle. It said the mistress of the castle placed a powerful enchantment upon the forest once her son and husband were killed, and such the legend of the forest endures."

"...What enchantment?"

"Hey, now you're breaking your rules!" Angelina corrected him eagerly. "It's my turn. Do you two live in the forest?"

"No. We go to school." Thatch answered with a lie smoothly. "Now answer my question. What's the enchantment?"

"Ugh, I'm barely getting anything out of you two! So tight-lipped. Your mouths might as well be sewn shut… Whatever. The enchantment is something along the lines of whoever enters the deepest darkest parts of the forest will die or whatever. But it's said if they're able to slay the vampire monster before they themselves are made of food, they can have the piles of gold hidden deep within its cellars!" She spoke excitedly.

Thatch's expression was blank for a few moments, then he burst out laughing, shaking his head as he turned away. "Oh, my stars! The fleshies are utter fools! Casper let's go. We don't need to waste our time with an airhead." He laughed heartily as he grabbed the clothes bag.

"Wait, what about the milk?" Casper whined and hurried back to Thatch's side, nervously glancing back at the human- who was not looking too happy with the vampire's insults.

"We'll go into this store and get it ourselves. Won't be that hard, we don't need help." Thatch gently comforted Casper. The ghost could only nod and follow the vampire off the playground, able to feel the fleshie glaring with their every step. He had a feeling she wasn't going to let them go that easy.

"Thatch? Are you sure this ok?" He whimpered softly. As they walked towards the grocery store he could only feel more nervous. They were so terribly out of place. He had his hood up and was trying to cover his face, but he could see all the humans in their modern clothes just watching them. They probably thought they were going to rob the store! "We're going to get caught." He pulled on Thatch. "Let's head back, it's ok."

"No, we're getting some milk to make some stupid shortbread." Thatch said stubbornly. "And it'll be the best shortbread ever!" Thatch was nearly impossible to reason with- as always. Casper softly sighed and held Thatch's hand- and to his surprise the vampire allowed it despite his foul mood.

As they walked closer to the store Thatch's steps started to slow and Casper could see the vampire was getting a bit scared. They could really get caught and get in huge trouble…

"You two are hopeless." Angelina sighed, walking over to the two boys, wrapping her arms around their shoulders and yanking them close, forcefully guiding them away from the doors. "Geez, wait here and I'll get the damn milk. Then I want some proper answers!" She said firmly, pushing the two into the shade of a tree before she hurried into the store by herself.

"... She is persistent."

"I like her," Casper said happily. "Think we can be her friend?"

"... Let's not. My mom will flip. We need to get the milk and run."

"But she'll be upset!"

"Boohoo we made a fleshie upset, what's she gonna do?" Thatch rolled his eyes. "We're way over the two hour time limit I told mom- which she didn't even full heartily agree to, and I know for sure she has noticed we're gone by now. We need to get back or she's going to lose her mind."

Casper really didn't want to see Thatch's mother when she was upset. Watching her carve up that stag was scary enough.

"Okay, agreed." Casper nodded, though he felt guilty.

The two waited for only a few minutes luckily. Angelina walked out carrying a plastic bag that had a gallon of milk. She grinned triumphantly and held out the bad. "Ta-fucking-da." She said cockily. Her sass was nearly at the point where it could rival Thatch's, but it wasn't quite there yet.

Thatch took the bag from her before he simply turned and started to walk away. Casper gave a look of pity to the human before he hurried after Thatch.

The human stood in shock, mouth agape in shock for a few moments before her blue eyes narrowed. "Um, excuse me! You got to answer my question now!"

"We don't make deals with stupid fleshies. Maybe you're dumb as rocks!" Thatch yelled behind his shoulder, smirking cockily as he walked with a bit of pep in his step. "Come on Casper." He noted softer. He handed the bag of milk to Casper and took his bat form easily, carrying the bag of clothes in his claws. It took a bit of effort, but he carried the bag as he swiftly flew towards the forest so they could outrun the human. Casper sighed and quickly jumped up into the air, flying hovering for a few moments before he looked back at the human girl. "Hey uh, don't be mad. I'm sure we'll meet again, just wait until the school year ends or something." He offered before he turned and started to fly after Thatch.

As Casper flew he could hear the screams of horror as people saw the ghost boy flying, but soon their voices faded as they entered the forest. Goodbye the strange fleshie Angelina, hello certain death by Thatch's mother… But hey, they got the milk…

The two flew all the way back 'home'. Once Thatch passed the magical wall and flew over the castle walls he changed back, landing rather harshly on his feet. But he was holding Casper's clothes bag to his chest, looking rather pleased with himself. "I say that was a good trip!"

"...I think we have different ideas of good." Casper lightly remarked- but not loud enough for Thatch to hear. As Casper landed beside the vampire he weakly smiled. "At least we can finish now, right?" He spoke a bit louder.

"Yeah! Come on." Thatch grinned brightly, not taking note by now it was late afternoon. The day had just passed by so quickly and he seemed to forget about his mother's anger, too focused on their now achievable goal of making shortbread. "I bet this shortcake will be the best ever made!" He assured the ghost.

Thatch happily lead Casper around the back and into the kitchen, and he felt relief to see everything as it was that morning. Thatch set the bag of clothes on the counter and hurried back over to the book, lightly humming as he skimmed the page. As he started to list off items Casper hurriedly flew around the room, picking up the items needed and placing them on the table near Thatch.

The rest of the afternoon consisted of the two baking the shortbread and generally having fun- even when the flour spilled all over Thatch, completely powdering the vampire in the white dust. Yeah, it was a pain to clean up, but it was rather amusing to see Thatch so messy for once. Once the shortbread was in the oven and baking Thatch left Casper alone in the kitchen to go change into some proper clean clothes while the ghost boy cleaned up the 'general' mess they made.

It wasn't until Casper was scrubbing the counters did he get the feeling of being watched. The ghost boy paused in his work, his eyes slowly lifting up and scanning the room, but he spotted no one with him. "Thatch?" He called out kindly, a gentle smile on his lips. "Don't try to scare me, it won't work." He playfully said before he returned back to his work. "Instead of pulling pranks why don't you check on the shortbread? We got to make sure they don't burn."

"I'm sure they're fine…" Clementine hummed softly, removing her black gloves from her hands, her cold eyes watching Casper. "So… Baking? Must be oh so much… fun…" She drew out slowly. Casper could feel his blood (if he had any) run cold as he watched the elder monster. "You and Thatch were gone for so terribly long…" She noted as she calmly walked, and with ever step her heeled boots clicked on the stone floor.

Casper shifted uncomfortably, trying to avoid looking at the vampire. "Um… We just ran into town to get some milk…"

"Into town you say? With all those… humans? All the way outside the castle walls and the forest?"

"Yes, but no one saw us." Casper lied. He didn't want himself or Thatch to get in trouble, so lying was just the best thing to do. "We were very careful. No one noticed a thing."

"Hmmn… If you weren't spotted then, ha, what's the harm?" She grinned, letting her pearly white fangs show. "Perhaps I'm just, a bit crazy! Being ever so careful of the humans, wishing for my only child to stay within the walls!" She hissed. Casper physically flinched back- and much to the ghost's relief Thatch had walked into the room, having looked oh so excited to return back to baking just to see his mother scare his new found friend.

"Casper, mom…" He frowned. He hurried over, protectively wrapping his arms around the ghost and pulling him close. He wasn't just pushing the ghost behind himself anymore, no he kept Casper in his arms where he was perfectly safe. "Mom, don't scare him!"

"Oh dear, I'm not…" She frowned deeply. "Me and little Casper here were only talking."

"You hissed at him! Casper scares easy, you can't be mean." The child reasoned. He pulled the ghost, allowing Casper's head to rest on his shoulder, facing away from the mother. Casper did what he felt was right; wrap his own arms around the vampire and melt into the protective hug. Now it was Thatch's turn to help the ghost.

"Mom, please… Can you not scare Casper? He's a sweet ghost and he did nothing wrong…" Thatch pleaded. His mother made a look of distaste to the ghost, but her heart only melted when she looked into her son's eyes.

"You were careless today, going into town… It's all because of him."

"I would have done it anyway." Thatch defended. "Please, mom… It's not his fault."

"Don't do it again, you make me worry. You use to be such a good little boy- a real rule follower." She said, but she let the subject drop. She was never able to really scold or punish Thatch for breaking any rules. He was her dear little prince. So, she turned and walked out of the kitchen with a heavy sigh. Her little bat was growing up too fast and she was scared for him.

"... It's ok now Casper." Thatch smiled gently. "I swear mom isn't scary. She's all bark and no bite… Come on, let's check on the shortbread." He chimed happily.


	11. Empty Ballroom

Chapter 11: Empty Ballroom

The day was better than Casper could have ever hope. Their shortbread was amazing- sort of. It turned out Thatch couldn't bake to save his life so Casper took over to assure things were done properly. Thatch was only good at reading out the steps and fetching the objects Casper needed. The talented ghost ended up making his personal tray of shortbread have 2 layers with a nice, thick center of strawberry flavored cream. He carved the shortbread to make a long, wiggling shape then carved one of the larger strawberries to look like a snake head, then used one of the green leaves and carved it carefully to make a forked tongue. He was proud of his little strawberry shortcake snake.

But Thatch's shortbread… Well, it wasn't burned- Casper assured that. But it wasn't pretty. At least it tasted ok! Thatch had spent most of his time trying to make cute little cream swirls on top, then centering the strawberries onto the cream swirls. It was hard and messy, but Casper thought it was adorable how hard Thatch was trying- even if he kept getting the cream on himself, and somehow ended up with some on his nose. Honestly that was just confusing.

After they enjoyed their sweet treat for dessert (with no dinner) Thatch was content to just walk with Casper around the dusty castle after the sun had set, slowly familiarizing himself with his old home once more. They hadn't seen much of his mother that afternoon, but Thatch had explained she was most likely in her bedroom or in father's tower for the day. She was probably keeping away because of Casper, because of how shy she is around people. Casper tried to understand but it still made him feel bad.

"So, when did you learn to cook? You're pretty good." The vampire questioned after a bit of walking.

"Oh, well I cooked for my uncles." He started to explain. "They like eating, and honestly they're rather lazy so I had to learn how to cook. They're rather bossy and mean at times." Casper mumbled. They had been getting better as of late, but he still remembered when they were really mean to him, pushing and hitting him. Honestly he was glad they were all on better terms now. Thatch nodded in understanding.

"I heard of them; the ghostly trio. They break a lot of the rules for ghosts, huh?"

"One can say so," Casper shyly smiled. His uncles certainly didn't care for rules, human laws or the Underworlds. Kibosh often had to get involved to get the trio back in line. It was always a terrifying event to witness.

Casper's blue eyes drifted around the dark empty halls. They were back in the main hall, and he couldn't help but notice just how different this part of the castle was from the rest. Yes, it was all grand, but from the large oak doors and lengthy hallway, it looks so big and breathtaking. The high ceiling with dusty chandeliers hinted at once an enchanting time in the castle when grand events were held.

Casper's eyes linger on the front door, then he turned to look the opposite way, down the long but beautiful hall. What was at the end? What did this grand hall go to? Casper never got to see because they kept turning off into the wide halls that lead to the rest of the castle. "Thatch? Where does this go?" He questioned lightly. Casper couldn't see the end, it was too dark to see far ahead.

The vampire paused and followed Casper's gaze, a faint smile on his lips. "Let me show you." He decided with no hesitation. He took the ghost by his hand and started to lead him along. The pair seemed so small in the grand hallway, and much to Casper's confusion at the end of the wall was another set of large doors, but these ones were more polished with elegant designs etched into the wood with golden door knobs. They stepped up the few dozen steps into this raised part of the castle and Casper could just tell he was going to see something grand behind those large doors. Why else would Thatch look so excited?

Thatch reached up and turned the golden knob, careful to push the door which opened ever so soundlessly as if they were gliding on air and not hanging on old aged hinges. "This room hasn't been opened in years, not after the repairs from the fire, course the fire barely got to this part of the castle. It was left mostly untouched," the violet-eyed vampire fondly spoke as he stepped into the room with the ghost.

When Thatch stepped aside Casper could see the large, breathtaking room. A huge domed ceiling, painted with fine art from the renaissance era, traced with golden accents. Each painting showing a ball of beautiful dresses, fine suits and many valuable things to be worn such as ruby necklaces and golden cufflinks. Golden pillars circling around the large white dance floor, it seemed so big to the ghost, the dance floor simply dwarfed the entrance of his old mansion home- and he remembered fondly they were able to hold a pretty large party back in his childhood home! This place was just breathtakingly humongous.

In the circular ballroom, there was wooden floor surrounding the white tile, indicating the seating area where people would go to rest their feet. There was even a stage where the orchestra would play. In fact, the instruments were still laying there- brand new by the looks but just dumped there- never to be used. Basses, cellos, violas, and violins. A harp even rested on stage beside a grand piano near the back, covered by an old tarp to keep the dust off the delicate instruments.

On the far wall from the door was floor to ceiling windows, looking out into the garden and Thatch's favored pond. There was even a balcony that they could step out into if they so wished. The room was clean- just sealed off and abandoned for all these years.

"Thatch…?" Casper gently murmured, unsure of where to look and what to say. He never saw something like this, it was truly out of a book. He suddenly wished Ra and Mantha were here so he could show them these wonderful sights as well. He knew the pair would never understand it until they saw it.

"This was one of my favorite rooms… I remember just sitting in the center reading a book or drawing- avoiding bed. The Head Butler always found me here and carried me to my room." He laughed softly and shook his head as he looked around the room fondly. "I was such a troublesome child, but I never got in trouble. He would always just laugh and carry me out despite my protests…" Casper gently smiled and nodded, squeezing the vampire's hand. This room was just beautiful, and he could just see a smaller version of Thatch just resting in the center of the room, goofing off while avoiding bedtime. There was so much history in this one room.

Thatch gently smiled as he looked around, a relieved sigh escaping him. "I expected this room to be a lot worse than it is… But it's almost the same as it once was-" Thatch fell silent as the music started to play. The two turned towards the instruments, who were now upright and playing themselves. The tarp had ripped itself off the piano and the keys started to press down, playing music for them. Casper gripped onto Thatch tightly- then the pair noticed Thatch's mother by the door, sweetly smiling.

"Don't stay up too late." She warned before she shut the large wooden door, leaving them in the room alone with not another word. The chandelier above came to life, the crystals reflecting the light across the dancefloor. The torches were all lighting themselves as the large windows busted open, letting a large refreshing breeze enter the room and bring everything to life as a golden glow took over.

Music flowed in the ballroom and pooled out into the garden where the fireflies got startled and came to life, their blinking lights rising from the grass as they flew around the enchanting garden below. The pond gave off a faint blue glow that they could see from the ballroom balcony.

Thatch was staring at the wooden door, a look of confusion on his face before a smile came to him and he laughed. Oh, his mother was surely going to drive him insane. The vampire pulled himself from Casper's side and kneeled down before the ghost, bowing his head.

"Casper, would you like to dance with me?" He playfully joked, or maybe it wasn't a joke as he, held his hand out to the blue-eyed monster. Casper was taken aback. He hadn't danced in forever! Last time was with a human girl, Kat, back at his human home. That was so long ago now. But at the same time, he just couldn't decline the vampire, not when his heart was fluttering so.

"Yes," was all he could say as he placed his hand in Thatch's. The vampire rose and smiled as he leads Casper to the center of the ballroom, his grip gentle and leading. Casper felt embarrassed by the display, but they had held hands before so he didn't understand why he was feeling so flustered now.

Thatch pulled Casper into a dance- as if it was second nature. Casper could tell the vampire was well trained in such things. He moved in time with the magic and it all seemed natural. Suppose living for a long time in a fancy castle had some perks- such as knowing how to ballroom dance. Casper had two left feet and was just worried about stepping on Thatch's toes. He was tempted to save himself the trouble by making his feet faze through everything and just float- pretending to be in step but he was wearing shoes so he couldn't fake this. He actually had to dance.

Casper held his breath, he didn't know why but he did as he followed Thatch's lead, wincing as if he was the one in pain when he stepped on Thatch's toes. But the vampire seemed oddly calm, just smiling and helping Casper find the rhythm and learn the steps.

"Just count in your head with the music, and don't look at your feet. Come on now… One two three, one two three," he guided. "Have you ever danced before?"

"Once," Casper weakly said as he tightly gripped onto the vampire. "It was years ago now… I was back home- my real home. An old mansion my family grew up in… Some girl and her dad moved in for awhile and I danced with her…" Casper recalled fondly. "Course we didn't really dance, I kinda just floated."

"You cheated then." The vampire teased the ghost, and Casper caught just the slightest hint of jealousy in the vampire's tone. Casper laughed and nodded. Thatch was being so strange, but there was no reason to complain. Yeah, he really did cheat. "It's ok. I'll teach you." He decided on his own. "This dance is called the waltz. I'll keep this the simplified version for tonight. No need to get fancy when it's just us."

The vampire pulled the ghost closer to himself, one hand resting on Casper's lower back, the other hand holding Casper's, helping lead the dance. The ghost boy started to become more comfortable with the dance and removed his hand from Thatch's forearm, instead, he moved it to wrap around Thatch's shoulders as he leaned close, letting his head rest upon the vampire's chest. Thatch smiled and slowed down their dance- seemingly content to just hold Casper to himself to enjoy this sweet night together.

Everything seemed so perfect with the two peacefully dancing in the center of the ballroom. No one watching or judging the odd pair. Casper felt truly relaxed with Thatch. The past was the past and it could be forgotten. Maybe he and Thatch can move on and start something new… something between them?

"One day, when I open the castle doors and let life flow through these halls I will hold grand balls once more. When those days come, Casper, will you be here to dance with me? I don't think I would want anyone else." The vampire softly whispered to the ghost. "I could teach you everything you need to know, you just need to say yes."

Casper felt unsure- there was a lot changing in little time. But he felt like this was the real Thatch, not the bully from school. There was a lot he wanted to ask and say, but for now, Thatch only needed one answer. Casper was more than willing to give it for it was what he also wanted.

"Of course, Thatch."

The violet-eyed vampire smiled and as the music came to it's grand finally- leaving the two a bit out of breath but excited nonetheless. Thatch gently shifted, encouraging the ghost to raise his head. As Casper did Thatch leaned down, carefully placing his lips on the ghost's. He didn't want to scare Casper away- but he also needed to do this.

It's unsure how long the kiss lasted, no one was keeping track. All that was sure was Casper gripped onto the vampire tighter, pressing into the kiss in return. All his fears were melting away; they seemed so childish now. He had questioned where he was with Thatch, as friends or more- but now it seemed the vampire cared for him just as Casper had. The ghost felt dumb for not realizing it sooner. Why else would Thatch be dressing him up and acting so fond of him?

It felt amazing. Strange and confusing, but ever so nice. Casper held the kiss until Thatch decided to part their lips, just as he decided to greet them. The ghost gazed up at the other, his blue eyes wide and curious, pondering Thatch's reasoning. Did he want to ask why? He certainly thought he did. When did this happen and how did such things occur. When did Thatch start to see Casper in a new light? Was it in their midnight games, hidden in the forest from prying eyes?

He didn't get to ask- it didn't feel right as Thatch smiled, his pearly fangs showing off in the glow of the ballroom. Perhaps in due time answers would be sought out and brought into the light, but in the glowing ballroom, answers were not needed. It was only them. Casper could hear the music growing softer, playing its final notes in the echoing song. The light from the torches was growing darker, their one song of the night fading- but not fast. It lingered as if the magic held within the room was questioning if there was more to be told to this late night tale.

The ghost wasn't sure if he wanted it to end either. He hoped the golden glow could stay and allow the two to be here for longer, but Thatch seemed more mindful of the time and restrictions.

"I bet you're tired," the vampire started. "Let's head back to my room for the night. You have a terrible habit of staying up too late." He teased the ghost.

"Me? You're the one sneaking out every night." Casper defended and laughed. He moved, letting both his arms wrap around Thatch's shoulders. The ballroom had fallen silent, the instruments in their resting positions. "Can't we stay up a little longer?" He pleaded.

"Another night." Thatch decided. "Best not to test mom you know… I'm just glad she's accepting you. I wonder what changed her mind…" He glanced off, his brows furrowed. "This morning she seemed so upset."

"Maybe she saw that we're good friends?" Casper smiled. Thatch softly laughed and shook his head. This ghost was going to be the end of him someday. "And surely one more song can't hurt anything, right?

"Well…" Thatch glanced away from the ghost, even if his arms moved to wrap around Casper's lower waste to keep the blue-eyed monster close. Seems Casper was pretty good at convincing the vampire to do what he wanted, for Thatch have a small nod. "How about a nice slow song? That way you don't step on my toes."

"Oh, I thought I was doing good." The ghost pouted, trying to mask the urge to smile as the vampire chuckled. Thatch seemed to know how to work the magic in the room, for when he started to slow dance with Casper the instruments started a new song for them, the lights still dim but it just seemed to increase the intimate, private feeling between the two.

Thatch gently smiled and kept his arms wrapped around the ghost, keeping him protectively close in his arms. "When we return to school… Promise to never forget this night?"

"I don't think I can if I tried." Casper smiled kindly as he gazed up at the vampire. He swore Thatch's eyes were almost glowing in the darkened room, watching him so carefully.

It was so embarrassing to be watched so closely. Casper just knew his face was surely turning red, and much to his own embarrassment he could feel himself going invisible without even meaning to. Thatch softly laughed and leaned close, pressing a kiss on top of the ghost's head. "Are you really hiding from me now? After all of this?" He teased lightly. "It's ok Casper, don't hide from me now."

"I-I didn't mean to. You're staring at me."

"Well, how can I not? Won't you allow me to gaze upon you once more, Casper?" He whispered.

The ghost shivered and ducked his head down, letting it rest upon Thatch's chest. It was embarrassing, but slowly he could feel himself change back so the vampire could look upon him once more. He could hear the song coming to its soft end, but he didn't wish it to be so. The song had gone by so quickly- or at least it felt so.

"Must this night end?" Casper whispered softly.

"I'm afraid so… But just because the night ends doesn't mean things will change. I'll always feel this way for you, Casper… Thank you, for helping me." The vampire shyly admitted as the song came to its end.

"Are we going now…?"

"I'm afraid so. Come on, let's go to bed for the night. We can do this again, I promise." He encouraged gently as he released Casper from his embrace. The ghost seemed more reluctant but found an even ground between them. He nuzzled up to Thatch's side, content to rest his head on the other's shoulder, his arm wrapped around Thatch's torso. Thatch responded by calmly draping his arm over Casper's shoulders.

"We need to get to bed, we got to head back to school tomorrow morning or Cappy is going to plan to put stitches in my tongue." He teased lightly. Casper softly laughed and smiled, following the vampire to the door.

"Wait, how do we get everything back to normal?" He questioned lightly, looking at the golden glowing room.

"Mom placed a simple charm. It'll break when we do…" Thatch reached out and opened the ballroom door. The instruments laid themselves back down- the tarp tossed itself over the piano as one last breeze swiftly entered the room, blowing out the torches in one swoop. The chandelier eerily swayed in the breeze as the golden light was killed by the gentle embrace of the night. As the lights went out the windows and door to the balcony swung shut, their locks latching in place and sealing everything as it was before. "See? Simple."

"Vampires are so cool!" Casper smiled brightly, causing Thatch to look confused.

"What are you talking about? Ghosts can do similar things too. Don't your uncles ever revert their home back to it's prime, replay old scenes from their lives or generally do… ghost things?"

"No… Can ghosts do that?"

"No wonder you're in Scare School…"

"Hey! You're in school with me!"

"I didn't want to scare fleshies. It's not cause I don't know how." Thatch rolled his eyes and grinned. "Come on marshmallow." He teased lightly, opening the door more for them and guiding Casper out. He didn't bother to shut it as a magical force seemed to close it for them, sealing the ballroom like it had been before. "Let's head off to bed. We'll have to get up early tomorrow." Thatch hummed softly.


	12. Worried Mummy

Chapter 12: Worried Mummy

The morning felt so unreal. Thatch's mother came in, gently shaking the two awake before the sun had a chance to rise- not even a ray of light in the night sky. Casper was incredibly tired, whining as he nuzzled into the bed, wearing the same PJs from the night before- Thatch's old clothes. The ghost was finally getting used to wearing actual clothes again and he was starting to enjoy it.

Thatch seemed to rise easier out of bed, leaving Casper in the warmth of the sheets as he went and dressed in his normal clothes- a white shirt, black pants with a chain- like always. His father's cloak around himself he seemed content, a gentle smile on his lips. Casper enjoyed this Thatch, but he could only remember the night before. Thatch dressed in his terribly outdated clothes- and Casper just had to match. How they danced in that golden ballroom like nothing else mattered.

But now it seemed like that night did not matter as Thatch redressed for school. Scare School- they were going back to where they were just Casper, the friendly ghost, and Thatch, the vampire bully… Casper didn't want to go. He childishly pulled the blanket over his head, trying to block out the world around him. He didn't want to leave this place- not yet. In these castle walls, they could just be themselves. He had learned so much about Thatch it made his head spin and he loved it. There was so much they still need to do- so much this castle held for them.

But time always moved forward, and he was reminded of that with every sound Thatch made. The footsteps on the floor, the movement of the bag of clothes they got for Casper, the sound of Thatch cleaning up his room so they could leave…

"Casper, come on." Thatch laughed softly and walked back to the bed. He crawled onto the bed and pulled on the blanket, trying to pull it off of the stubborn ghost. "Casper?" He spoke softly when he got no response. At this Casper only whined, making Thatch roll his eyes. "I swear you're not a morning person are you?"

"It's not even morning- it's still night." The ghost defended,

"Well yes perhaps, but the sun will be rising soon and we got to fly or we'll miss Cappy. You're also going to be in so much trouble- you snuck out of school." He reminded. Casper whined and pulled the blanket tighter around himself, turning his back to the vampire. "Oh come on Casper," He sighed. "It's ok, I'll cover for you." He encouraged gently. When the ghost still didn't move Thatch huffed.

The vampire plopped down on the bed beside Casper and instead pulled the big lump under the blanket closer to himself. "You big stubborn ghost," He chuckled lightly. "Come on, won't you at least look at me?"

"You're tricking me."

"I'm nooot, just let me see you." He drew out playfully. Casper doubted Thatch was telling the truth, but he slowly removed the blanket around his head, instead tightly gripping the top and keeping it just under his chin. Thatch grinned, seeming rather content with the adorable sight, for the vampire simply laid his head down on the soft pillow and laid beside the ghost peacefully. "See? Much better." He encouraged. One hand found its way up and started to ruffle Casper's soft fur-like hair.

The blue-eyed ghost could see Thatch had questions about the texture of his hair, but it was soft and fun to play with so it really didn't matter.

"We got a few minutes before we utterly must leave… You got to change. Put on one of your new outfits. The other students will be impressed I'm sure." He grinned toothily.

How could anyone say no?

Casper sighed and willingly climbed out of bed, going over to the bag resting on Thatch's desk. The ghost simply fazed out of his clothes- letting the PJs drop to the floor in a heap as he picked up the bag instead, reaching in and searching around. The vampire kept his gaze away, making the bed so everything would be ready for them to go. The vampire didn't turn back around until Casper was fully dressed. It was strange considering Casper always walked around naked anyways.

Casper was wearing one of the vampire's favored picks from the tailor shop. Some nice clean jeans with some socks and comfortable shoes, then a nice black T-shirt with a silver bat on the chest, along with a comfortable blue jean jacket. Casper could figure why Thatch liked the shirt- there was a bat on it of course. The rest Casper didn't exactly get, but then again he wasn't into fashion.

The ghost tossed the PJs into the bag and went over to Thatch who gave an approving nod. "Ok good, let's head out." The bully commanded easily- far too use to leading a group. Casper could tell by the way he carried himself but it didn't bother him too much.

He followed Thatch out, carrying his bag of new clothes. Thatch's mother was waiting by the front doors, gently smiling as the two of them made their way down the hall. "Be safe out there, Thatch. Make sure Casper doesn't get lost out there, and for goodness sake don't fly up too high. I don't need you getting hurt, and remember to drink your blood-" She started to ramble on as she kneeled down, straightening Thatch's cloak. Thatch could only smile and nod, listening to his mother's worries.

"Yes, mom… Of course mom… I won't forget- yes I know… no, I won't… Yes, Yes I will… I understand… okay, mom…. Okay… okay… okay… Yes, mom… Mom we're going to be late- yes I know… Yes, yes… Ok… Thanks… yes, thank you… I'll be in touch, yes, of course, I'll call you… Yes… yeah… I'll call you- didn't I say so?... Okay. Okay, thanks… Bye"

Thatch finally was able to pull away from his mother's fussing and go to the door, opening it. The faint hints of sunlight were entering the sky, making his mother move back from the door. Thatch paused, looking back to his mother. "I promise to call weekly. I've never forgotten. Just wait for my call, ok mom?" He gently smiled. Clementine nodded and sighed softly.

"Of course my little bat… be safe- and stay out of trouble. I don't need another letter saying they had to drag you off to detention by your cloak again."

"I hate that…" Thatch muttered, lightly rubbing his throat as he remembered the numerous times it has happened. "Bye mom, love you!" He flashed a smile before he walked out the door and down the steps. Casper gave a small wave, still far too nervous to talk to her. As the duo left the door shut behind them, and they could hear the sound of a plank being put in place to barricade the front door once more.

"I guess we better get going," Casper softly muttered as he looked up at the sky. Thatch nodded and grinned.

"I know the way, just keep close and don't get lost." He said confidently as he turned into a bat, swiftly flying over the wall. The ghost sighed softly and jumped off the ground, quickly following the vampire as he carried his bag.

Traveling back to the meetup spot was long but not too hard. Since Thatch knew he was being followed he kept slowing down and sometimes circling the ghost to assure the other could never get lost. When they reached Deedstown Thatch flew right down to the sidewalk and changed back, stumbling a bit on the landing but otherwise seemed just fine- a bit out of breath but just fine.

"Whew… That flight always gets to me." He muttered and stretched, cracking his back with a relieved sigh. "My arms are so tired now… Ugh…"

Casper landed beside the other, smiling as he saw the sunrise, the pretty orange and yellow streaks chasing the night blues away. "Well, we did fly for how long? I know we at least passed 5 towns." The ghost noted calmly.

"Yeah, come on." Thatch smiled and started to walk, and much to Casper's disappointment he saw Thatch was no offering his embrace, or even his hand. Or perhaps he was just over thinking such things. Thatch did say he was tired from the flight. So Casper tried not to let it show that it was bothering him as the two walked in the town. Children were just starting to awake for school and adults were getting ready to head off to work. "If Cappy's late I'll be upset." Thatch grumbled.

Casper just nodded in understanding. Thatch probably wanted to get back to school and see his friends. Casper wanted to see his own friends too, but he didn't want to lose this sweet side of Thatch.

When they reached the park, their common meeting ground, Cappy was just landing and lowering the ramp. Thatch motioned for Casper to go first so Casper did. He would be able to make sure Cappy was in a good mood. Casper floated up the ramp and smiled at Cappy kindly.

"Cappy, hello." He kindly greeted the captain. Thatch went by then and went to sit on the bench, clearly not wanting to greet the captain. Casper could only assume Thatch was tired or just didn't want to be reminded that he was heading back to the school. That vampire was rather confusing- just earlier he seemed so eager to get back; this was going to be a long day.

The ride back home was terribly silent. Thatch did not speak a word, and Casper couldn't bring himself to break it. They just sat side by side the whole flight, listening to Cappy ramble on about how annoying it was to wake up so early and how the weekend at the school was far too boring with none of the students wanting to talk to him- go figure.

When the ship did dock the two were more than happy to depart- only as they walked down the ramp they saw a certain bundle of bandages curled up by one of the barrels near the edge of the dock.

Ra was fast asleep, his hands tucked under his head to serve as a pillow as he napped on the hardwood. Thatch gave an uneasy look to Casper, who in turn floated over to the mummy and kneeled down by his side, gently nudging the sleeping mummy awake.

"Ra… Ra what are you doing here, you'll get sick." Casper whispered as he helped the stiff mummy sit up. Once Ra's eyes landed on Casper the ghost was knocked flat on his back, the mummy laying on top of him- giving Casper the biggest possible bear hug the ghost had ever received.

"I was so worried! You ran off so quickly- I didn't know what to do. I just knew you had to leave on the ship, so I've been waiting here for you. Cappy kept saying to wait until Monday, but I didn't want to miss your arrival if you just flew back or something," Ra explained in a rush, keeping a firm hold upon the ghost, just melting into the hug. "I was so worried! Mantha has been losing her mind too- oh and the Headmasters are utterly fuming! Casper, what in the Underworld were you thinking?"

"I… I decided to follow Thatch." Casper sighed softly and slowly helped the mummy up to his feet. "That's all. We were at his place for the weekend. Ra I'm fine, everything is ok… We'll handle it… or um, Thatch said he will."

"You're so impossible," Ra mumbled weakly as he released the ghost from his embrace… then he could actually get a good look at Casper. "...What is this mess?" He generally asked, motioning to all of Casper's outfit.

"Mess? I rather like it." Casper smiled fondly, taking a step back and proudly showing off his new outfit. "Rather cozy. Thatch helped me get some new clothes."

"Helped you, or forced you? Ugh, why does your shirt have a bat?" The mummy made a face, and it was around this point Thatch walked on over.

"Is there a problem?" He questioned. His voice was level but his eyes narrowed as he watched Ra, sizing the mummy up. "If Casper likes his clothes then what's the big deal? What are you, his mommy you little mummy?" He hissed.

"Thatch… Let's calm down now." Casper gently spoke. "No need to be hostile, right? Ra was just worried all weekend." He explained simply, placing himself between the mummy and vampire to try to keep things calm.

Ra frowned, his arms crossed over his chest. Ra was holding back his tongue simply because he knew Casper had a crush on the vampire- and nothing more last time he checked. "I'm not the one being hostile." He defended.

"Neither am I. I'm just ensuring Casper is alright."

"Casper is always alright around me. It's you we got to worry about."

"Oh? What does that mean bandage boy?"

"Oh, I think you know what it means bat breath."

"Guys!" Casper pulled the argument to an end. He looked between the two desperately. "Listen everything is ok, no more fighting. Ra, thank you for waiting for me here. I'm sorry I took off with no word, but I promise everything is ok. Thatch treated me well and assured everything was fine."

"Well, everything is not fine," Ra mumbled and glanced off as the Headmasters came onto the deck, their eyes on the trio.

Caught and in big trouble- great.

"Casper, to our office right now!" Dash, the smarter of the two ordered. But Thatch swiftly moved in the way, looking up at the two.

"I wanted to thank you two for allowing me to go home over the weekend to see my poor mother." He calmly spoke. "She was so happy you two kindly agreed… and thank you for allowing Casper to come."

"Casper? We never agreed-"

"Oh, but I thought you did. I mean, after all, I did get that potion-"

"Oh, yes yes child." Dash was swift to cut Thatch off, his eyes quickly darting between Casper, Ra, and Cappy. "Of course…" He drew out, placing his hand on Thatch's shoulder. "In these hard times, we monsters rely on others, right?" Thatch smiled and nodded.

Alder seemed terribly slow on the update, as always. "But wait, Casper wasn't allowed to go. I thought we agreed to let Thatch go if- ow!" He whined as his brother smacked him upside the head, a common sight.

"At this school, we're always willing to help our students," Dash said loudly as if he needed to prove his innocence. "I hope you and Casper had a nice stay this weekend… Now then, breakfast is about to start. Hurry along." The smart monster ordered.

Thatch, looking pleased with himself grabbed Casper's bag and smirked. "Come on." He said cockily as he started to head back to the school. Casper flashed Ra a smile and hurriedly followed. Ra could only roll his eyes and sigh. At least Casper wasn't in trouble… Ok, so maybe Thatch wasn't a horrid bat faced freak, so the mummy reluctantly followed.

As Thatch walked into the cafeteria he handed Casper his bag back, a look of uncertainty in his eyes. The two lingered together for a few moments before Thatch's name rang out in the large room. Dummy Girl was sitting up in her seat, waving over at Thatch to get his attention. Beside her was Slither and Mosshead, his gang.

Thatch pulled himself away from Casper's side, returning back to his normal table with his gang. He grinned and greeted them as always as he took his normal seat.

Casper sadly watched but was stirred away from the sight as Ra pulled the ghost boy over to their own table where Mantha loyally awaited. Seems everything was returning back to the old ways; Casper had barely even got any of his new questions answered.

Did the dance mean anything, and the kiss? Did those soft whispers mean nothing in the day or at school? Was it all a mistake to think anything would change…

Despite the terribly long flight and general exhaustion, Casper had lost his appetite and knew he would learn nothing today in his lessons.


	13. Thatch's Soft Side

Chapter 13: Thatch's Soft Side

Casper had spent all of breakfast trying to deflect a lot of his friends questions. He just tried to keep it vague, saying they went to Thatch's house while claiming he forgot exactly where it was- that the location was just far away and he doesn't even know the way because all he did was follow Thatch. Casper did say Thatch's house was pretty big, but scary looking with large stone towers and big hallways. At that point they asked even more questions, so Casper had to tell them it was a castle and not a normal house, and that it was in the human world. That only spurred their confusion and interest. Thatch lived in the human world? In some castle? So outdated and Casper agreed to that.

Casper managed to avoid talking about a lot of stuff. Thatch's father, Vincent. The human town nearby with that weird fleshie, the ballroom dance... The kiss. There was much to avoid, Casper too shy to admit much to his friends. He didn't want to say much until he and Thatch figured out what was going on between them. Yes, Casper knew he could trust Mantha and Ra to keep secrets, but this was his and Thatch's secret. He needed to protect it more than he did his own. So, by the end of breakfast he had only told them Thatch lived in a very fancy castle- he had described many of the rooms in grand detail to take up as much time as possible.

When the bell rang Casper smiled and got up to walk with his friends. His blue eyes turned to look across the room, spotting Thatch with his friends doing the same. Casper could see Slither glaring right at him, not even trying to hide it.

"Oh, Slither was so mad after you left to follow Thatch." Mantha whispered, grabbing Casper's hand to guide the ghost out. "Best to avoid him for now. He was the one that informed the Headmasters you had left."

"Oh…" Casper softly murmured. He never thought Slither would go out of his way to make his life hell. Normally Slither was the most passive of Thatch's gang. He'll have to be more careful, that snake monster was keeping such a close eye on him and Thatch now. But Casper knew at night they would sneak out and have their moonlight stroll. He knew now the vampire cared for him.

But even so, it bugged him to see Thatch so distant- and there he goes bullying Wolfie. Great. Casper stopped at the cafeteria doors, sighing heavily.

"What's up Casper?" Mantha paused, looking back at the ghost.

"It's nothing. I'll catch up." Casper said simply and started to walk back towards Thatch and Wolfie, feeling slightly annoyed. They were barely back an hour and Thatch was giving Wolfie hell. Yes Casper remembered why, but surely Wolfie could have a break for just one day!?

Ra and Mantha stood by the door, while their braver ghost friend walked up to the gang. "Thatch, Wolfie- we're going to be late." He said instead of telling the vampire to stop. It felt awful not truly helping the wolf, but if this is how Thatch cared for Wolfie nothing could be done, right?

Thatch glanced at the clock, and even if there was plenty of time to get to class he nodded. "Come on gang." He said swiftly and left Wolfie's alone very quickly, passing by Casper rather swiftly without looking at the ghost. Casper did happen to notice the light coloring on Thatch's normally pale cheeks. So cute…

Slither seemed annoyed when Casper came close, but followed Thatch and the others. His beady gray eyes narrowed hatefully at Casper as they passed. Casper paid them no mind. He did what was needed.

"Wolfie," the ghost started gently as the werewolf stood up. "You gotta fight for yourself. Get mad, fight back some? Aren't werewolves and vampires equal in strength?"

"I know but… I don't want to hurt anyone." He whimpered weakly.

"You don't have to hurt him, just get mad and push him off." Casper gently smiled. "Show that you hate how much Thatch picks on you. I'm sure he'll lay off then." The ghost said thoughtfully. Wolfie seemed unconvinced, but at the same time content to have gotten off of his daily pounding so easily.

Casper gently escorted Wolfie out so he could walk with Ra and Mantha to their class. This was going to be a long day…

Classes were fine and Casper found it surprising how much he was actually able to focus on his lessons, even raising his hands to answer despite daydreaming the previous class so much. It was nice having a human friend that helped teach you so much about humans already some of these lessons didn't seem needed because of that.

Whenever Casper wasn't taking notes or paying attention he would sneak a glance at Thatch, faintly smiling as he watched the diligent vampire take his fancy notes. Ra would always chuckle and bring Casper back to his own notes, which was helpful. Ra still had his concerned and questions about Thatch and casper, but he seemed to be getting a lot of things slide for Casper's sake.

When lunch rolled around Casper was feeling better, energized and back into the loop of being at school. He hadn't realized just how much he had missed Ra and Mantha. Hanging out with them was certainly great, easing his mind and bringing comfort. Mantha and Ra didn't ask much, and Casper knew they were going to wait for him to open up and willingly talk about the weekend. Honestly they were just the best friends he could ask for. While he was so happy with his friends he almost forgotten about that morning completely and his advice to Wolfie when he heard screaming.

The ghost turned around in his seat, seeing the person who had screamed was Dummy Girl, and for good reason it seems. Thatch and Wolfie were on the floor, fighting fiercely. Thatch seemed to be winning, overpowering the weaker creature by shoving him to the cold hard floor, trying to pin the werewolf down by his wrist to avoid getting scratched. Wolfie didn't seem to take this kindly and used his sharp teeth and grab Thatch's free flowing cloak, shaking it roughly until the clip came loose and let Wolfie yank it off of Thatch. Thatch was instantly distracted by his missing cloak and even released the monster to grab the cloak, trying to pull it back. It was like a very serious game of tug of war.

Wolfie saw an opportunity and suddenly released the cloak, causing the vampire who had been pulling with all his might to fall back onto the stone floor, his cloak covered in Wolfie's slobber. Gross.

"You'll pay for that muttface!" He threatened before he lunged at the werewolf, knocking the fellow student onto his back once more, his cloak now discarded away on the floor- safe from Wolfie's teeth.

Slither kept Mosshead and Dummy Girl out of the fight. Everyone knew better than to get involved when vampires and werewolves fight. It was never pretty. So he kept his friends safe as he watched their leader fight. Ra, Mantha, and Casper left the table swiftly, but couldn't get to the fighting pair because of the growing circle around the fight, everyone chanting for who they wanted to win.

The fight didn't last long surprisingly, maybe a few minutes at most. Casper had just pushed his way to the front of the surrounding circle to see what happened next clearly. As Thatch hissed loudly the werewolf had twisted them around, shoving Thatch down. In the process Thatch's fang cut Wolfie's forearm, drawing a small amount of blood.

And that was it, Thatch was panicking and yelling for the fight to stop, his struggle against Wolfie ceasing as he willingly laid on the floor- letting the werewolf completely win this fight.

"Get off, get off! I give, I give you dumb mutt, get off of me- did I just bite you?!" He almost screeched at Wolfie, who seemed surprised by the fact he just won against Thatch. The pure blooded werewolf got off of Thatch, only for the vampire to roughly grab him and look at the cut. Casper swore he could see Thatch grow paler- if that was possibly for the vampire.

Wolfie was only in pure confusion, looking at the cut. He hadn't even noticed it had happened amidst the fight, too pumped up on adrenaline to feel the pain. Thatch seemed to be having a major freakout as he looked at the cut because the vampire grabbed Wolfie and started to drag him, trying to pull the furred monster out of the cafeteria.

Wolfie growled and planted his feet stubbornly. "Let me go, you said you give!"

"I did now we're getting you to the nurse, now you dumb creature! I bit you, I fucking bit you! Don't you even know what that means!?"

"...I turn into a vampire too?"

"I'm surrounded by idiots!" Thatch yelled, still stubbornly trying to pull Wolfie along. "A vampire bites a werewolf and the werewolf loses its ability to BE A WEREWOLF! You're going to be a fleshie if we don't fix this!" At this point Wolfie stopped struggling so much and seemed rather willingly to follow Thatch, the pair rushing out of the cafeteria.

"What just happened?" One of the skeleton sisters, Monaco muttered. "Like, I know I'm not too bright but surely others are confused too, right?"

"Like, yeah totally. Thatch was like, freaking out!" The fellow skeleton, Mickey laughed. "How strange."

Casper didn't feel like sitting around and listening to the students ponder what had just happened. The ghost instead flew out quickly, rushing down the halls and taking the most direct route to the nurses office.

Casper opened the door, carefully entering the creepy nurses office. This was never a nice place to be- the nurse was insane and everyone knows it. To his surprise Wolfie was already up on the nurse's examination table. Seems she was taking this very seriously as she looked over the cut. Thatch stood by Wolfie's side, watching with wide violet eyes.

"I swear I didn't mean to, it just sorta happened." He whined weakly. "He won't turn into a fleshie, right?"

"Hmmmnnn…." The creepy nurse drew out slowly. The gorgon then just put a bandaid on Wolfie's arm. "It's not deep at all, barely a scratch. Can't even be considered a bite, even if it was done with those sharp fangs little vampire. You fear for nothing." She laughed.

Thatch sighed heavily and looked at Wolfie, who was still looking pretty fearful. He still remembered the last time he was turned into a fleshie and hunted in the school. He really didn't want to be turned to stone.

"Wolfie, Thatch,..." Casper floated over to the pair as the nurse calmly started to clean up her examination tools. "What on earth happened?"

"I'll tell you what happened, I nearly got turned into a fleshie!" Wolfie whimpered.

"I'm sorry ok, I really didn't mean for that to happen. Besides you attacked me." Thatch frowned. "What was that even about?"

"I don't like it when you pick on me! Casper told me to stand up for myself."

"I didn't mean to fight!" Casper defended quickly as the vampire turned to him.

"Whether you meant it or not that almost ended badly for Wolfie… If he turned into a fleshie I don't know what I would do…" Thatch sighed heavily.

"I might be going deaf, maybe I am becoming a fleshie but it sounded like you care." Wolfie tilted his head to the side, his large yellow eyes watching Thatch,

"...Shut it muttface." Thatch hissed and moved away. "I'm going to get my damn cloak." He muttered as he stormed out, leaving Casper and Wolfie behind.

What a mess…


	14. Caught In The Act

Chapter 14: Caught In The Act

Finding Thatch after that outburst was impossible. The bell rang and they were all summoned back to their classes, where talking to each other wasn't really possible with the pop quiz Dr. Burns decided to give. Casper was unsure of how well he did that quiz because he was one of the last ones to finish. He couldn't focus because he kept hearing other students whisper to each other, but it wasn't them cheating on the test. He could hear whispers of Thatch's name and it was making him nervous.

He couldn't even turn around to look at Thatch because everyone would see. He would just have to wait until tonight… And so he did his best.

He focused and worked, plowing through the day and looking forward to the night. The second they were sent to their bedroom Casper rushed to his bed and jumped right under the covers. He curled up and fell silent, knowing Ra would read his body language and just go to bed as well. He shut his blue eyes tightly, waiting and listening as he done the nights before. This wait didn't feel so long- perhaps he was getting used to it or maybe everyone just fell asleep fast tonight, it didn't matter too much. Casper listened, and at the slightest sound of Thatch's coffin he rose out of bed and hurried over, his feet hovering just above the floor so he didn't make a sound. He helped Thatch out of his coffin, smiling brightly at the vampire. Finally, he got to see Thatch.

The vampire shyly smiled at the ghost as he shut the lid on his coffin before making a motion for the door. The two silently left, and once the dorm door shut Thatch pulled the ghost close, hugging the smaller male tightly. "I'm glad you stayed up." He whispered softly.

"Of course," Casper replied happily, nuzzling closer to the vampire. "Let's get to the forest quickly." Thatch nodded and the two held each other's hands, rushing through the halls faster than they normally did.

The second they stepped outside the castle they were laughing and full-on sprinting towards the forest, fingers still laced in the other's hand. Casper ran alongside Thatch, deciding to play fair and not just float along. It was only fair after all. Once the two students entered the woods they slowed down, softly laughing as they sat by their favored tree.

"We're so going to get caught one night." Thatch laughed happily.

"Maybe, but this is worth the risk," Casper chimed happily as he leaned against the vampire. Thatch chuckled and contently rested back, letting his eyes shut. Casper decided to start up their little game, to check in on the vampire.

"Are you ok? After the fight today I mean…" Casper gently asked, nudging Thatch's side. The vampire hummed lightly in thought.

"Well… Mostly ok I guess. Just annoyed. That dumb werewolf bit my cape, nearly ripped it too! I'm glad it's really strong." He sighed. "That damn mutt only managed to get slobber onto it." Casper nodded and was about to ask another question when he remembered their little rules.

"Your turn." He spoke, earning a smile from the peaceful monster.

"Okay okay, I see…" He hummed softly. "Are YOU ok? Ra treating you well? Classes ok?" He gently asked, his arm wrapped around Casper's hips to keep the ghost boy close and safe.

"I'm fine, Thatch." Casper smiled and gazed up at the other, studying him. From his calm expression to his messed up hair. Thatch was perfection in a vampire's body. Casper was able to identify the scent of Thatch. The ever-lingering presence of firewood and strawberries clung to him no matter what the other seemed to do. Casper could remember the first few nights when he had pondered, wondering what it was. Now it was as simple as day and night.

"The quiz was a bit hard but it's all ok… I was just distracted. It doesn't feel right…"

"Feel right? Care to explain- and that's still apart of my original question. You didn't explain fully." Thatch defended himself.

"Okay okay… It just doesn't feel right not… talking to you. We're separated in the day."

"We promised the night to each other."

"Can't we promise more?"

"Is that your question?" Thatch chuckled. When Casper nodded he hummed softly. "We could," Thatch softly spoke, smiling. "I don't know what the outcome will be. I know my friends won't take it well… And yours?"

"Ra and Mantha know of us…" Casper admitted shyly. He could feel the vampire's eyes on him so he looked away quickly. "I wasn't sure what was going on at first so I asked them for advice and stuff… they don't know much, I swear-"

"Calm down Casper. I believe you." Thatch chuckled softly, kissing the ghost's cheek. "If you told them about us it's fine… just shows you trust them a lot." He assured the blue-eyed monster. "I just don't know how my friends will react."

"I hope they understand," Casper weakly smiled. It was nice, just sitting out here with Thatch with no worries. The ghost sighed softly when he felt Thatch move his cloak, wrapping it around him so they were both nice and warm. "Thanks." He giggled softly, pressing a kiss to the vampire's cheek.

"My turn," Thatch chuckled. "Let's see… Ok, when did you… start to like me?" Thatch questioned.

Wait, Thatch had the same question as Casper did? Was the vampire just as confused? Well, he did a dang good job of hiding it! Casper weakly smiled, looking deep into the dark forest as he thought. "I… I started to like you when I saw you were more than a big bully. When I saw you had a kind heart… And when did you start to like me?"

Thatch's cheeks flushed and he glanced off, though he kept Casper close to himself. "Our hug." He muttered. "I haven't hugged anyone in ages so… It was nice and I didn't realize how much I missed it."

Casper smiled, feeling content with the answer given. So it was around the same time for both of them… Casper shut his eyes and sighed with a smile on his lips. "Tomorrow we'll let everyone know… I'm not scared." Casper said, even if in truth he was scared. But he didn't want to hide his feelings for Thatch. He wanted to be able to hug the vampire whenever he pleased and enjoy his presence right by his side.

"Well, isn't this a sight…" A smooth voice came from the forest. The pair of monsters stiffened, and almost out of instinct Casper tucked further into Thatch's side, who wrapped his cloak tighter around them as if trying to shield Casper away from sight. "I really didn't expect this out of you, Thatch. Our fearless, cruel leader." Slither hissed as he came out from behind a tree, his head tilted to the side slightly as he watched the two. One of his long tentacle-like arms rested on the tree, keeping close as if he did not dare to get close to the lovebirds. "Sneaking off nearly every night is a bit of a giveaway- especially when Casper starts to disappear from his bed as well. You're lucky not everyone is a light sleeper like me."

"I'll do as I want." Thatch hissed defensively, trying to take charge and be the leader, despite having Casper clinging to his side. "I break rules as I want when I want and for whatever I want, Slither. Following me is rather rude, don't you think?"

"I grew curious," Slither answered coldly. "I never took you for a softy."

"I'm not."

"You have Casper of all people clinging to you."

"So what? I thought I made this clear. As the leader, I can do as I want."

"I doubt you'll be the leader of the gang for long. They don't need a weakling bossing them around. It's clear Casper has you on a leash. One word from him and you stop picking on Wolfie." He spoke carefully.

"Maybe I just don't feel like it. Picking on that mutt can get boring and repetitive," Thatch replied curtly. He made to get up and Casper followed suit, keeping close to the vampire. Casper didn't feel scared of Slither per say, just more concerned for Thatch and the struggle to keep control over Slither. The vampire's chest was puffed out, trying to make himself appear bigger than he really was but Slither did not seem scared in the slightest.

"You also freaked out today, screaming bloody murder when your cloak was yanked off and you scratched Wolfie. I heard you even rushed him to the nurse… Are you getting weak, Thatch? Soft in the heart perhaps?" He drew out slowly as he crept closer, his long dark purple shaded robes dragging behind him as always. Casper could now see why Slither could be seen as scary. It was hard to see it in the day, but at night the pale monster made him nervous. He didn't understand how Thatch was being so brave. "People are talking."

The vampire frowned and stood his ground, his violet eyes watching Slither carefully. "It matters not. As long as I can lead the group-"

"But you can't. Not with a soft heart. Dummy Girl has even noticed your lack of… leadership as of late. Leaving for the whole weekend, letting Wolfie off easy, helping him even, and now look at you… Cuddling and kissing Casper of all people? Trust me I got no problem male or female wise, but Casper?"

"Who I want doesn't concern you, Slither. Now watch yourself or you just might find yourself in trouble." Thatch hissed. "Unlike you, Dummy Girl and Mosshead pledged their loyalty to me."

"Are they though?"

"...Course they are." Thatch mumbled softly. "They're my friends."

"Friends? I don't know if friends are the correct word to describe them. They pledged their loyalty, but that means nothing- especially not between us, Thatch." He sighed. Casper's blue eyes narrowed, listening carefully. The way Slither spoke was weird, distancing him from the other members of Thatch's little gang.

"Go away Slither, or I'll bite you! I mean it. You're not welcomed here."

"If you so wish… We'll see how welcomed you are back in their little group tomorrow." He spoke carefully, turning to leave. "But Thatch you know we're true friends. It's best to not act so cold to a friend…" He carefully spoke, his gaze drifting off for a moment in thought before he left, disappearing into the dark forest. Thatch silently watched him go, and it made Casper unnerved so he nudged the vampire, demanding his attention.

"Thatch, ignore what he said. I'm sure everything will be fine." Casper said sweetly.

"He raises a good point but… Yeah, no use worrying about it." Thatch muttered softly and smiled down at the ghost. "Should we head back?"

"Already?" Casper whined softly.

"Well, what does it matter? Tomorrow we'll be showing the school, won't we? No need to hide in the night." Thatch smiled gently and pressed a kiss to the ghost's forehead. "Besides we're in a terrible habit of staying up."

"I don't get why you never get tired." Casper pouted as the duo started to walk back towards the castle.

"Vampires can sleep for hundreds of years if they so, please. Trust me, I'm not tired."

"Have you ever slept for that long?"

"Course not… My mother can though. I know sometimes she'll sleep for months at a time, only waking up to call me." He spoke thoughtfully. "She never ages after all. As for myself I do age and grow, so I rather not spend my life asleep. Plus… Since I am growing I get hungry a lot more than normal vampires." He explained easily. "Do you really know nothing about vampires?"

"Only what fleshie movies say, and even then it's iffy. One movie said vampires sparkle like they're covered in glitter."

"The thought of that makes me want to puke... Let's never mention that again... I heard next semester instead of learning about fleshies we'll actually be learning about different types of monsters and their powers and weaknesses- to better understand how they scare fleshies or something…" Thatch chuckled. "I bet the unit on ghosts will be interesting."

"I think I rather learn about vampires." Casper cooed playfully. The two smiled, sharing one last kiss before they went inside the castle for the night.


	15. Protective Friends

Chapter 15: Protective Friends

When Casper woke up he had a positive outlook on the morning. Today a lot will change. Today would be better. The ghost slowly got up and reached under his bed, where his new bag of clothes awaited him. He wasn't sure if it was Mantha or Ra that put them there for him, but either way, it was grateful to have such thoughtful friends. He had almost forgotten about the bag of clothes. He fazed out of his PJs, letting them fall lifelessly onto the bed as he went through the bag, picking out the second outfit Thatch had picked out for him. It was a cute blue shirt that had 'boo' written on the front. Thatch had seen it and just couldn't stop laughing so they had to get it apparently.

It was paired with some nice blue jeans as Thatch called them. He saw Jimmy wear them a lot too. So Casper put the clothes on along with his socks and shoes.

Casper liked this outfit more because it didn't have the jacket, but he did prefer the bat shirt. It just felt more… Well, it was hard to describe. It was like he was carrying a piece of Thatch with him then. But no matter what he wore it was nice.

Once dressed in his new outfit he looked around, seeing everyone getting ready for the day. Ra had just rolled out, looking ever so tired. Casper couldn't help but to smile and go over, helping Ra push the lid back. "Sleep well?" He kindly asked.

"Yaaa…" Ra yawned tiredly, lazily tightening a bandage on his wrist like he so often did. "You look awake this morning."

"Yeah, got back early last night. Actually got some good sleep." Casper happily chimed as he floated by his friend.

Ra nodded tiredly and started to drag his feet towards the door. Casper only smiled and peacefully went along, opening the door for Ra as they went. Honestly, sometimes Ra was so hopeless. He wondered how the mummy would ever function on his own, but it didn't matter as long as Ra had friends. Which he will!

"Can Thatch sit with us this morning?" Casper asked the sleepy mummy as they waited outside the girl's dorm as always. Ra only nodded, rubbing his eyes.

"Yeah yeah, uh sure- ask Mantha." He yawned. Casper rolled his eyes. Honestly, Ra was hopeless.

"Your hat is on backward, let me help." Casper moved closer, helping Ra adjust his hat. Casper always wondered why Ra wore it, or that type of hat exactly. The type of hat was like a beanie, which did not exist in Ra's time- but at the same time, Ra had some sort of gold snake head on it.

"Thanks," Ra muttered as he reached up, making sure the snakehead was center. His hand briefly drifted down to his golden necklace with an engraved beetle on it. Honestly, Ra was so strange…

Mantha opened the girl's dorms and stepped out, reattaching her arm. "Oh hey, guys. Sorry to keep you waiting." She kindly smiled. Mantha was always so much better in the mornings than Ra. "Aw Casper, you look cute today. Doesn't he look nice- Ra?... RA!" She raised her voice, snapping the dozing mummy awake.

"Oh!" He tensed, looking at Mantha, then to Casper. "Dude, that shirt…" He laughed softly. "It totally suits you."

Casper smiled shyly at his friends. "Thanks, guys. Mantha, I wanted to ask if it's ok for Thatch to sit at our table today."

"Well… If he flips my tray onto my head again I'll give him a piece of my mind- but… Yeah, sure. I'll give him a chance for you." Mantha decided simply. Ra looked confused how to this was decided- clearly not remembering what he said in his half-asleep state, but he saw no reason to fuss. It was fine for now.

The friendly trio made their way to the cafeteria, where they each got their trays and sat at their normal table. Ra sat beside Mantha this morning, so when Thatch came over he could take the spot beside Casper. The ghost smiled, seeming to notice the small things his friends did to make things easier. He knew he was breaking their routine, but seeing his friends act like it was no big deal brought comfort to him. They honestly cared so much.

Casper turned to the door, feeling his heart jump when he saw Thatch walk in. He was with his gang, talking… Casper felt his voice die in his throat and he couldn't find his voice to call out to the vampire. Ra, on the other hand, seemed to have no damn issue.

"Hey, Batboy!" Ra yelled loudly. "Come here!" At this point, Casper wished Ra was still half asleep. Honestly, why was Ra sounding so demanding, it was only going to cause a fight or something.

Thatch turned away from his group, looking over at the trio. Ra waved, looking rather pleased with himself. Mantha was trying to ignore the situation, pulling out a book to read while she ate. Casper just looked at the floor, unable to meet Thatch's gaze. He felt so jittery. Everything was supposed to change today… It felt so sudden even if they were so eager for it last night.

Thatch glanced back at his friends, who of course did not look overly impressed with Ra's orders. Thatch seemed to take the situation seriously, and after a few moments hesitation he walked away from his group and went over to Casper's table. "What you want, bandage boy?" He returned the insult.

"Come sit with us today," Ra said simply, poking at his breakfast with disinterest. His eyes were only on Thatch, judging the vampire. Ra wanted to see if Thatch really deserved to get so much attention from his dear friend. After all, Ra didn't want anything to happen to Casper. Not when he was around to stop it. "I mean unless there's some more pressing issue." He turned his nose up, his eyes going to Thatch's gang.

Thatch followed his gaze, looking back at his gang. Dummy Girl eagerly waved but stayed right where Thatch left them. Thatch slowly turned his violet eyes away and looked at Casper, who kept his head down with his face as red as a tomato.

"I'll be back," was all Thatch said before he walked away from the table and back to his gang. The friendly trio couldn't hear what Thatch was saying to his gang, but they could see it wasn't going well. Dummy Girl and Mosshead both left, heading over to their normal table where Harpy was sitting all by her lonesome.

Slither on the other hand watched them go, then looked back to Thatch and nodded loyaly. The serpent-like monster moved closer to Thatch, giving a shy smile before the vampire seemed pleased. Slither and Thatch both made their way over to Casper's table.

"Hope you guys don't mind if Slither joins."

"Why not. There's room. Slither sit by Mantha." Ra ordered, motioning over to the empty seat on the other side of the zombie. Mantha pulled her head out of her book, looking confused when the serpent monster sat beside her, setting his tray directly in front of him and seeming to be wanting to take up as little space as possible. "So Thatch, what happened?" Ra pressed as the vampire sat down beside Casper.

"Dummy Girl and Mosshead didn't take this change kindly… Slither tried to warn me and Casper about it last night." Thatch weakly smiled as he nudged the ghost, encouraging Casper to look up.

"Wait… He wasn't threatening us or anything?" Casper carefully asked. Casper swore Slither had seemed so hostile last night.

"Slither hostile? Oh no no," Thatch waved the thought off quickly. "Slither always takes things seriously, it's how his kind works. They have trouble expressing kinder emotions sometimes. He was just worried about us last night and how things would go. His fears were, as it always seems, spot on." Thatch hummed as he looked at his friend, who averted his gaze in embarrassment. "Slither has a knack of knowing how things will turn out."

"But… But when you were leaving Slither- he…"

"I told you to stay away from Thatch, yes," Slither mumbled softly. "He's my… friend. He doesn't need trouble." The pale monster muttered, turning his head away, his pale hair falling in front of his face to hide his expression. "I protect Thatch, much as Ra protected you that day."

Casper looked at his mummy friend, who had his arms crossed over his chest. Ra seemed to be thinking things over carefully, trying to judge lies from the truth. But everything seemed to be the truth, so Ra sighed and started to eat his breakfast.

Thatch chuckled, placing his arm around Casper's shoulders. An outward display of affection- it made Casper's heart race. The ghost could almost feel the heat coming off his face as he stiffly sat beside the vampire. They both seemed awkward, learning how to be by each other while in public. Casper could feel the eyes on them now, from all around the room he could feel them staring even if he didn't look. Casper could feel the panic rising in his chest. But Thatch seemed so sure of what they were doing.

Ra watched the pair, then had to back down. Thatch seemed to be impressing the mummy, or maybe just gaining the mummy's trust slowly. Whatever Ra wanted, he seemed to be getting it. Slither was also completely passive now towards Casper and his friends. He only ate his breakfast, not saying a word.

"Eat, Casper." Thatch gently instructed. Casper noted Thatch didn't have any food, but maybe the vampire just wasn't hungry. So the ghost started to eat, trying to ignore the feeling of dozens of eyes watching them.

"Ever think Dummy Girl and Mosshead will come around?" Mantha spoke up. It was nice to hear her voice, she was always the voice of reason. Always the most logical of the group!

"I doubt it…" Thatch muttered. "Slither was the only real loyal one." The vampire chuckled, making the serpent sink further down into his seat in embarrassment. "Oops, any further down Slither and you'll be under the table."

"... Better than up here." Slither commented softly. Mantha just chuckled and shook her head as she turned back to her book. Casper couldn't help but smile. He had never really taken notice of Slither, or how shy the monster actually was. Hell, he didn't even know what Slither was. He was always just there, in the back of Thatch's gang with his watchful eyes.

Thatch shook his head at his friend and looked at Casper, smiling kindly. "It's fine. As long as I got you and Slither everything seems perfect-"

"To get Casper you're getting me and Mantha." Ra cut in simply, stabbing his food with his fork. "That's the rules."

"... Then I accept those rules." Thatch agreed simply.

Casper flushed and gently held onto Thatch's side, shyly smiling at Ra and Mantha. Ra seemed annoyed with Thatch still, but when he saw Casper's smile his shoulders slumped and he stopped puffing out his chest to appear bigger. Honestly, it was a cute display if anything.

Mantha seemed overall pleased with the outcome- except for the shy, sinking monster by her side. She was more concerned about that than the vampire in front of her. "Uh, Slither you don't need to hide.

"Too many eyes." He mumbled, fully sinking below the table. "Plus, darker down here." He almost hissed. Thatch tried not to laugh at his friend, only shaking his head. Slither really didn't want to be anywhere near the center of attention.

"He's probably worried because people are looking at me and Casper." Thatch chuckled and turned his head, seeing that everyone in the cafeteria was staring as if the sky had turned pink and there was a clown passing out balloons.

"This will be a strange day," Casper gently smiled. At least people weren't glaring. They just seemed confused more than anything, and Casper could deal with that. Casper turned to look up at Thatch, who had the cocky smirk on his lips. Oh no, Thatch wanted to make a big display of all of this. Casper was about to say something when Thatch leaned down and kissed the ghost on the lips, just to show everyone in the room.


	16. Who's Side Are You On?

Chapter 16: Who's Side Are You On?

Casper could feel his whole face go red, Thatch's lips pressed against his in such a public place. The blue-eyed ghost shut his eyes tightly, feeling his heart pound away in his chest. He didn't pull away from the kiss. No, he rather stay just like this, unable to see the people around them. To feel Thatch's warm body, his comforting hold. The ghost moved his hands, resting them on the vampire's chest, just to feel his heartbeat. While Casper himself didn't have one, he felt great comfort feeling Thatch's. How it pulsed quicker when they kissed, how it slowed when he was asleep. It was fascinating.

Despite Casper's desperate wish for the kiss to last, Thatch pulled back from the ghost. Casper kept forgetting that Thatch actually had to breath. Stupid lungs…

There was pure silence in the normally loud room. Casper didn't know what to say or do, and in truth he could tell neither did Thatch. After what seemed like forever of silence Wolfie chuckled, his tail wagging as he laughed. "Oh, I thought you smelled like Thatch Casper, so this is why!" He joked. A lot of students started to laugh along, out of nervousness or just because they wanted to make fun of the very strange ghost and vampire. Wolfie himself seemed surprised by the laughter. He truly didn't mean to start that.

Casper felt his heart sink and he turned, looking back at the lunch table. Mantha seemed annoyed with the laughter, her gaze hardening as she looked around at all the laughing students, making note of every single one of them. Ra seemed to be fuming as he turned the golden medallion around and around in his hand as a nervous tick, or maybe an angry one. It was hard to tell at times because Ra had been doing it a lot as of late. Casper couldn't see what Slither was doing, the snake monster was still under the table in his hiding spot. Honestly it was probably for the best that way.

Thatch seemed to be getting annoyed with the laughter- Casper knew Thatch was terribly quick to get mad and start fights, but before the vampire could do anything Fly Boy flew over, nervously buzzing in the spot near their table. Casper lifted his gaze and offered a weak smile to the fellow student. He liked Fly Boy, he helped that student out alot. Thatch was a known to pick on Fly Boy as much as Wolfie in a bad week.

"Y.. yoooou guyzzz… Make aaah cute couplezzz…." The insect monster spoke, giving a little twitch now and then as he hovered close, unable to stay in place as he floated.

Thatch seemed… pretty much at a loss for words. He wasn't use to saying nice things to other students so Casper decided to. "Thanks, Fly Boy." He happily said, leaning against Thatch more. Fly Boy now pleased with himself flew away, going back to sit by Pumpkinhead to finish his breakfast. Fly Boy honestly didn't care what many others were thinking, he figured the relationship would be fine because within the last week or so Thatch hadn't picked on him once. If it was because of this relationship why should he protest?

The laughter in the room was pretty much gone now, no one really sure how to react. Ok, so Thatch and Casper kissed. Fly Boy claimed they're a cute couple. Wolfie had been smelling Thatch on Casper before this, and Casper has been saving Wolfie from his daily beatings… Well, one thing's for sure. Thatch was a lot more passive. So no one really wanted to outwardly disapprove of this now- it was too early to start much drama… unless you were Dummy Girl.

"That is disgusting," she yelled across the room, angrily watching Thatch. She had put down her fork, refusing to eat as if the sight of the kiss made her lose her appetite."I mean honestly, a vampire and a ghost? How weird can that get?" She laughed, nudging the skeleton sisters who nervously joined in.

"This is Scare School, not Kiss School," Mickey remarked coldly.

"Oh my god, you're so right," Monaco joined in cheerfully, putting down her mirror as she finished fixing the paint on his face.

Wolfie growled, his fuzzy ears pressed back in annoyance. "Hey, Casper! You and Thatch really a thing?" The werewolf called from his table, not willing to stand up and get close to Thatch still.

Casper flushed deeply and before he spoke Thatch decided to answer for him. "Well, obviously. Why else would I kiss Casper? He's clearly mine." He said possessively, his arm wrapped around the ghost's hips to keep him nice and close. Wolfie wagged his tail in response, watching them with great interest.

"I got to know how this happened. You two were like, the biggest enemies!" He said excitedly. Figures Wolfie would want to know all the details.

"Ugh shut it bark breath!" Dummy Girl hollered. "Don't be encouraging those idiots!" General disagreement ended up erupting anyways despite no one really wanting to cause a fuss at first. Students arguing over this was ok or not, though mostly it was Dummy Girl trying to silence anyone that was starting to accept the relationship and because of that students started to join the bandwagon, rallying behind Dummy Girl's aggressive words.

Mantha seemed to have enough for in the middle of all the debate she made a motion and started to sneak everyone out of the cafeteria just to avoid the mess they've caused. Ra, Casper, Thatch, and Mantha left- oh they forgot Slither. Thatch stopped at the door, noticing the mistake right away. He reluctantly let go of Casper and hurried back to their table, crawling under it. Casper contently waited by the door with his friends, watching as the vampire spoke to Slither and coaxed him out, hurrying him across the room and into the safety of the hall.

"Whew… that was a mess." Thatch laughed softly.

"Worse than a mess…" Slither gloomily added. "I'm pretty sure this will affect the entire day," he drew out, keeping his gaze low. "What a terrible day."

"But the day has just started." Ra cheerfully counter. "Come on, it'll be fine. Once Dummy Girl accepts this it'll be all ok. Fly Boy and Wolfie seemed accepting of this right away." Ra didn't seem to like how Slither was bringing the mood down but didn't say anything directly- not for now.

At the moment the group needed to stick together and just try to get past whatever the other students were thinking about. Good or bad they all needed to rely on each other, which meant Ra needed to turn off his Mummy-Mommy mode and just try to get along with Thatch and Slither, no matter how strange the two seemed to be.

So, Casper gently started to guide them all to their first class of the day, figuring they could all get in their seats and just try to be good and get along, establish themselves before their disgruntled classmates joined them.

When they arrived in their normal class Casper went over to his desk and sighed as he sat down. He became confused when Ra didn't sit down right away so the ghost boy turned around in his seat and noticed Ra and Thatch briefly talking before the vampire came over and took the mummy's normal spot. Ra sat at the desk to Casper's right, and Slither sat beside Ra. Mantha contently took the desk behind Casper and Thatch, deciding she could watch the boys from this position and assure everything was alright.

Casper felt protected this way, nearly surrounded by friends. Even when the other students started to pour in he felt protected. He gently smiled, taking out his class supplies and seemed eager to learn, though he admittedly knew he might be distracted with Thatch sitting right beside him. He wondered if the vampire would be distracted as well.

When Dummy Girl entered class she was utterly fuming to see Thatch beside Casper, and even Slither was beside Ra of all people! She huffed angrily and walked over to Slither and Ra's table, slamming her wooden hands down on the desk just to startle both students at the act of aggression. She had learned well from Thatch it seemed. "Slither! Come sit with me," she demanded. "You don't have to follow Thatch, you belong with us." She said simply, implying herself and Mosshead as his true friends.

Slither's pale skin seemed to pale more, and he slowly started to sink down into his seat, looking away from Dummy Girl and right at Thatch for some backup. Slither didn't necessarily like to fight with who he thought were his friends, and honestly, one-time Dummy Girl had bitten Slither's 'hand', one of his striped tentacles for limbs and it had hurt worse than anything he ever knew. Wooden teeth were nothing to joke about. With all the gossiping Dummy Girl did Slither knew she had a strong hinge on that ever moving mouth of hers. Honestly, it was like a nutcracker. So, the serpent could only let out weak, whispering protests which even Ra couldn't hear.

"Come on Slither, don't look to him!" She demanded as she reached out to grab the serpent monster, disgusted with the fact that HER friend would turn to the traitorous vampire for help and protection. "He's no good for us anymore.".

"Hands off!" Thatch snapped, though he did not rise from his seat. He hopes his words simply held enough bite to keep Dummy Girl at bay, but sadly she was being more stubborn than a tree. Thatch had lost all control he had over her, which meant things were going to spiral out of control real quick.

"Oh, whatever Blood-Breath." She rolled her eyes and grabbed onto Slither's arm. "Come on, you're sitting next to me." she simply decided for herself. Slither just couldn't find the words to defend himself.

"Um excuse me, but I'm pretty sure he's sitting next to me," Ra interjected, frowning deeply as he grabbed Slither's other arm. Yeah, he didn't like Slither, but if Slither didn't want to go, then he didn't have to go! At the touch Slither wanted to recoil from them both, but he also knew he rather stay with Ra than Dummy Girl, so he leaned towards the mummy more. "You can go away, Termite-Head." Ra sneered.

"Termite-Head! Why I oughta knock you right out of those bandages."

"I like to see you try," Ra growled, rising from his seat and leaning across the desk to look down at Dummy Girl who released Slither's arm. Slither sunk back in his seat, silently watching as he pulled his arms fully into his robes, looking more like a worm now. He really didn't want to be between these two at all, let alone get into any fight.

Something about Ra's threat seemed to make Dummy Girl question herself, but she only shoved Slither roughly before she turned and walked away- releasing her anger on the less intimidating male. The wooden doll went to her seat and sat down, nearly shaking with anger as she watched her former so-called friends. Mosshead was just trying to comfort her now, assuring that she was clearly in the right and everyone else had gone insane.

Slither refused to look her way. Instead, he looked at Ra with a confused look, watching the mummy retake his seat. Slither was nervous, and he just had no clue how to thank the mummy. They had never really directly fought, not until last week that is. But they were never once friendly. Slither could remember the first time he met Ra, long ago on Cappy's ship. He had actually sat beside Ra while Thatch was going around and threatening the other students, claiming to be the biggest and the baddest. It was a laugh at the time because he knew Thatch was nothing but a softie, though he was surprised when Thatch actually bit off part of one of the benches. Vampire teeth were scary things, but at the same time he had taken note of Ra's willingness to stand up and sass anyone, no matter how scary.

There was a lot to question- mostly about how aggressive the mummy has been lately. Intimidating anyone he feels the need to, taking over the situation at times. It was confusing, and what was more confusing is that Thatch, Casper, and Slither all thought they could see a slight glow from Ra's eyes- but maybe they were seeing things because Ra seemed perfectly normal, taking out his book and rubbing his eyes like he was sleepy once more, relaxing how that Dummy Girl was away and Slither was safe by his side. Safe, still startled, but safe nonetheless.

As Casper looked around the room he could tell there was a great divide. To be for or against this new situation, and what exactly to do about it. Yes, it was strange, dating in Scare School wasn't really common when the students were supposed to be mean to each other- unless there was a fleshie; in that case, they were expected to help each other for the better good of the Underworld.

The rules of the school were a bit confusing to the ghost, but he knew dating certainly wasn't smiled upon here. It made him almost sad the monsters had to be mean to each other. But he tried to brush the thought away and focus on class…

And he inwardly groaned when he saw the final exam of their current unit was today. Great.


	17. A Vampire's Coffin

Chapter 17: A Vampire's Coffin

Casper sighed contently as he laid down on his bed after the whole day of nothing but awkward stares and glares. The whole day had gone nearly exactly as he thought it would. Utterly and terribly horrible. It left him exhausted, and he was glad at least at night he could have some peace. Maybe he and Thatch could sneak out tonight, he wanted to talk to Thatch alone. Ra, Mantha, and Slither had been stuck to Thatch and him all day. Granted they were only trying to protect them, but Casper needed some space with just the vampire. He wanted to talk and make sure his Bat-Boy was doing ok.

Throughout the whole entire day, Casper and Thatch were teased and picked on by Dummy Girl and her group of students she managed to get on her side. Things like food and pencils and paper balls were thrown at them. At times they were called names like "Sheet-Lover", as to be insulting Thatch to Casper- for near the start of the year Thatch had called Casper Sheet-Boy. Then to Casper people called him "Thrall-Boy", but never in front of Thatch it seemed. Perhaps they were too scared to say such an insult around the vampire- which Casper thought was rather cowardly.

Thatch was itching to pound them all into the dust for their constant bullying, as was Ra as well. Slither was actually managing to keep Ra and Thatch from fighting. Whenever Thatch got riled up Slither would just go over, share some candy or speak in soft whispers so Casper couldn't hear.

He was still a bit jealous of Slither, but at the same time grateful the snake-like monster knew how to calm Thatch down, for the ghost was still just learning.

When Ra got mad Slither would just silently watch and listen as Ra ranted about the other students, and that seemed to help the mummy greatly. Something about Slither's ever gloomy mood seemed to calm people. Well, Casper wasn't sure if he could call Slither gloomy. Yes, he had thought that, but maybe Slither was only shy and reserved- that's what it seemed like now.

But even if all this help was nice, Casper knew this peace wouldn't last long. He just didn't know who would snap first- Thatch or Ra. He felt some resentment to the students, but understood that the students didn't know any better, and he was hopeful that things would change soon. If Dummy Girl was to just back off he knew surely the others will try to be more understanding.

As Casper laid on his bed he could hear the other students settling down for bed. He noticed a few have changed their bunk- and after a moment he realized the divide in the room. Beds were exchanged, people moved. Some of the students on his and Thatch's side of the room, the rest on the other now. Casper could see the people rested near his and Thatch's spots were people who supported him. Wolfie, Slither, Flyboy, and Ra. Everyone else seemed to be against them and thus distancing themselves.

It was almost a comfort to have who he could trust be close. He even smiled when he saw Slither had taken the closest bed to Thatch and was currently nervously pacing around. He only got into his own bed once everyone else was in theirs- as if he was standing guard for the vampire.

Casper wondered what was going on in the girl's dorm if it was the same or not. He hoped not- Mantha would be so alone. The ghost turned away from the whole room and fazed out of his clothes, changing into Thatch's white shirt he had so willingly given. It was fine, he could get through this mess. He just had to remain calm and loyal. As Casper laid down on his bed, his blanket pulled over him he heard the other students whispering. No one really wanted to fight before bed, but going to sleep might be hard.

When the lights went out and the whispers stopped he tried to relax, but Casper could tell they were all still awake. The shifting in the beds, the heavy sighs of discomfort. Casper doubt any of them would be asleep soon- and if they were all awake he and Thatch couldn't sneak out… Wait no, Thatch couldn't- Casper could… In fact…

The ghost turned, looking over at Thatch's coffin in the dark room. He debated for a few more moments, then fazed through his clothes and bed, leaving it all a neat, but a slightly ruffled mess on his bed. He allowed himself to turn invisible and floated over to Thatch's coffin.

He was nervous to be invading the vampire's space- but hasn't he done that before? He has been in Thatch's house, bed- went through his clothes and generally almost everything; but not the coffin. No, he was never invited into the coffin. He had just peered into it that one night- uninvited. But, how else could he and Thatch have their late night talk? Casper knew the coffin was pretty soundproof, the sturdy wood and padding on the inside assured that…

Casper held his breath and allowed his head to faze through the coffin- like he had done what seems like forever ago. He saw the vampire was still awake, and looking annoyed. He was laying on his bed, his cape draped over him like a blanket once more as he glared up at the lid, silently waiting, listening. Casper carefully moved in more, unseen to the vampire's eyes. Casper got himself settled near the foot of Thatch's coffin, where there was enough room. He then turned visible, smiling brightly at the vampire.

"Hi Thatch!" He said ever so happily. He was honestly excited to see Thatch, to have some time alone to just talk.

Thatch tensed and sat up in surprise, his head hitting the lid of the coffin- oh that had to hurt. The vampire cursed and fell back, holding his now throbbing head. Casper covered his mouth, silently watching the pained vampire. Seems he was scaring Thatch a lot, even if he didn't mean to. Casper couldn't scare anyone on purpose to save his life, but apparently, he could be scary at the worse times.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Casper only spoke once the vampire had stopped his whining and was just laying back, eyes closed as he held the red spot on his forehead. Casper weakly smiled, waiting for an invitation or order to get out of the coffin, but neither came. "Thatch?" He carefully spoke. He was unsure of what to do, so he just rested an unsure hand on Thatch's leg to try to bring some sort of comfort.

"You… suck." Thatch grumbled lightly. "That hurt." He sighed, blinking several times to fight back the tears of pain that wanted to fall.

"Hmn, looks like it. I didn't mean to scare you." Casper giggled softly. Honestly, he couldn't help but find it funny. Thatch, the once great bully got scared by the friendly ghost. Maybe he felt a bit of pride in that, but whatever.

"You're in my coffin, and you just appear and speak ever so happily, and loud. Yes, you scared me." Thatch grumbled, slowly opening his violet eyes and looking down at Casper. "What the-... Why are you down there?"

"More room, I don't want to crowd you."

"... Come here marshmallow." He invited Casper calmly. He shifted, moving to one side of the coffin and Casper crawled up, laying beside the vampire who gently smiled and carefully moved the cloak to cover them both. Casper could tell right away this was THE cloak, his father's cloak. Not the fake ones he wore that had hidden weapons. Casper couldn't help but feel his heart flutter away. Thatch was sharing a piece of history, a piece of his family with him now.

There was no doubt in the ghost's mind this was real, this was happening and this was them. Thatch settled down easily, gently smiling at Casper. "This is much better. Don't scare me next time." He warned the ghost simply.

"Next time?"

"Well, course. I assume you'll be visiting me like this more, won't you?" He gently smiled and offered his arms to the ghost, who moved over and nuzzled right up to Thatch, missing his caring embrace. "Just knock on the outside of the coffin or something before you enter." Thatch seemed to have adjusted to their new nightly cuddles as well. His head rested on top of Casper's, his arms lovingly cradling the ghost. "Today was… rough." He admitted softly after a few silent moments.

"Very…" Casper sighed heavily. His eyes briefly flickered up to the top of the coffin, almost scared someone would just yank it open and see them- after all, Casper's bed was now empty. Thatch seemed to notice this fear as he moved one hand and at the head of the coffin, he pulled a metal latch almost hidden in the padding of the coffin, sealing the lid on from the inside. "Thatch?" Casper gently questioned. He had never noticed that before.

"You really think my coffin is open to all?" He scoffed and grinned. "Mom refused to let me sleep in a normal bed when I was taken here." He explained simply. Casper was meaning to ask why Thatch had a normal bed at home and a coffin at school. Did all vampires sleep in coffins, beds or both? And what reasons if both? "She had this coffin made so I could be safe and away from others… Normally I never use the latch but… I got a feeling I'll be using it more." Thatch whispered to the ghost.

"Your mother worries a lot." Casper duly noted, his eyes lingering on the locked latch.

"Oh, that's not the half of it. She added so much to this dumb thing… It floats in water, the paint is hard to scuff and makes it hard for fire to burn the wood, it's almost airtight. I got a little latch near the foot of it that makes an air hole. I keep it about halfway open at all times of course." He hummed softly. "Unlike you, I need to breathe." He teased the ghost, who giggled softly. "Let's see, what else did she do…? Oh yes, under the mattress there's some storage, clothes, papers… a few weapons."

"Weapons?"

"Maces, knives, an ax if things get crazy. She's a bit… She doesn't want any monsters giving me trouble. Sometimes I carry them around in one of my cloaks." He chuckled softly. "Let's see…" He shifted, looking around the coffin. He reached up, and in the top right corner he pulled back some of the padding, and there was a hidden area where he kept an actual journal and a pen. "There's this spot, and I think there's another near the foot on the opposite side, but I never use it."

"Whoa… All that?"

"Yeah, and-"

"There's more?" Casper smiled weakly and propped himself up on his elbows, smiling at the vampire. Honestly, it was confusing, but also adorable how much thought his mother put into Thatch's needs. He wondered if his uncles ever would care for him that much.

"Oh yeah. On the outside of you pull one of the handles and press one of the engraved parts a small drawer pops out. I don't ever use it when others are around, but I tend to keep some random stuff in there, from old notes to candy."

"So that's where you get those bloodworms." Casper laughed. "Those are horrible for you."

"They taste good." The monster defended playfully.

"Oh… I do have one more secret I suppose…" Thatch softly muttered after a few silent moments. Casper looked interested as Thatch got up and scooched to one end of the coffin. He made a shooing motion and Casper stayed at the other end. Thatch pushed one of the many buttons that held down the gray velvet padding, causing the button to pop up. Thatch then grabbed it and carefully looked at Casper. "No laughing."

"Promise."

"No telling."

"Of course."

"... Seriously, Casper, this could get me expelled."

"My lips are sealed Thatch- don't you trust me yet?"

"... I do." The vampire smiled and pulled the extended button, revealing one of the secret compartments he had been talking about. It was the biggest one, Casper could tell. The entire center part of Thatch's coffin was just this one huge compartment. Thatch had to scootch all the way back at the foot of the coffin to pull the cover-up, and even then he couldn't open it fully due to the lid being closed on the coffin. But Casper could see into it- and saw dozens and dozens of… Colorful rubber ducks.

"...Ducks?" Casper questioned, raising a brow. Honestly, he would have never guessed. None of them were even black, or gray for that matter! All bright colors, from the classic yellow to pinks and blues, a lot of blues actually. All different shades, like Thatch couldn't pick a shade he preferred, or could never find the exact blue he wanted. Casper titled his head and reached down, taking one out of the compartment.

Thatch was watching the ghost, looking nervous as Casper examined one of the blue ducks, turning it over in his hands. At the slightest squeeze, it gave off a little sound. Casper frowned, squeezing a bit harder and this time heard it clearly. The duck made an actual quacking sound. "Thatch?" Casper carefully spoke, turning it over in his hands as he smiled. Honestly, he never thought Thatch would do such a thing.

"N-no laughing… I've been collecting them since they were first made. The more rare ones are back home…" He softly muttered, glancing off. "These are just a few from home and… the ones I've managed to sneak in every time we go out to town."

"You been sneaking ducks every time?" Casper raised a brow, and in all honestly was trying his best not to laugh. It was so cute. The ghost was about to put the blue duck down when he paused and raised it up to his hair. With his free hand, he pulled a few strands of his own hair down, comparing the colors. Casper knew he made his hair the same color as his eyes and was… more confused when the shade of the duck and his hair almost perfectly matched.

Thatch seemed to panic for he snatched the duck away and shoved it back into the compartment before he slammed the lid shut and pushed the button back down, sealing it. Casper decided it was best not to mention anything- for now. He was so going to tease Thatch later when the vampire stopped looking like a tomato.

Thatch whined and settled back down, pulling the ghost close once more and trying to settle down now that he was done with the grand tour of his coffin. Thatch was embarrassed, but staring into Casper's wondering eyes made his heart pound, and despite his embarrassment, he decided to give Casper a rare opportunity. "Tonight, ask any question and I'll answer. No game…" He softly muttered and kissed the ghost's cheek before he just laid there, contently watching the ghost in the dark enclosed space.

"Any?"

"Yes, even the really dumb ones." He assured the ghost easily.

"Where do vampires get their coffins?"

"There's a carpenter in the Underworld that fulfills orders. Mom got this one done by them- helped them make the blueprints and everything. She planned about 3 months in advance before she allowed them to enter our house, giving them a maximum of 3 hours in the main hall to discuss plans. Again, she hates almost everyone.."

"Do you prefer bed or coffin?"

"Hard to say. Depends on the bed. Being enclosed is nice and all- wish I had a blanket and a softer pillow." He chuckled softly. "So, if I had to pick this coffin or my bed- my bed wins."

"What do you do if you can't see yourself in the mirror?"

"I suffer like every other vampire." He laughed before he decided to give an actual answer. "Normally I ask Slither if I look ok and work off of that. It helps if you do the same style every day, then it's just muscle memory."

"Do you like the color black? It seems to be everywhere…"

"I do in fact, it's comforting. Reminds me of peaceful nights." He hummed softly. "Night is the time for vampires, allowing us to hide and attack if needed as well."

"Why does your mom look the same in the paintings and you're… growing?"

"... Ah…" Thatch weakly smiled. "Mom's a normal vampire- she will never age… I do… I will live and grow older than my mom, and die of old age while she never will…" He glanced off. He seemed oddly at peace with this thought. "At least I live longer than a dumb human."

"I also noticed… Thatch- you're not that strong."

"Excuse me?" He said defensively.

"Back at your house, you could barely lift the plank off the door…" Casper carefully worded. Thatch seemed a bit huffy but kept to his word about answering.

"As a living vampire, I am… admittedly a lot weaker. That might be why mom fears so much for me. There are good things and bad things about being me…" He sighed heavily. Thatch had no clue Casper had such a range of questions, he assumed Casper might have one or two, but he did say Casper could ask any questions, and he wasn't tired so he figured he could continue answering all these.

"Why do you want to be the best vampire?" It felt nice asking all these questions. Everything that had built up was now getting answered, and with every answer, Casper felt more relaxed with Thatch.

"Why…? So my family is never forgotten," the vampire carefully answered. "If my name is remembered, Thatch Vincent Manora, my parents will live on forever. Even when I die my mother will be remembered as having the best son, the son who can change the underworld and scared the humans and took revenge for his father-"

"Revenge…?"

"...I want them to hurt."

"Thatch, you can't do that." Casper sat up, staring at the vampire, who refused to even look at the ghost now. "Kibosh made the balance clear to us, we can't tip the scales or start some sort of monster-human war… Plus anyone involved is surely dead by now, all the humans alive now are innocent… Thatch…"

"... It was just a thought, don't worry about it. Come here, stop fussing." He smiled gently and motioned for Casper to return to their cuddling. The ghost felt unsure, but who could say no to those eyes and that charming smile? Casper snuggled close again and sighed, enjoying the warmth.

"Why do you have so many blue ducks."

"I like the color."

"Why?"

"... Because."

"Because?"

"I dunno."

"Why did that duck-"

"Ok enough of that." Thatch groaned and covered his face with his hands. "I just… I don't know, I just kept picking up all sorts of blue ducks and trying to figure out… um…"

"Figure out?"

"I was trying to see which one matches... you?"

Casper decided to show some mercy to the poor vampire. He was just happy he confirmed his suspicion.

As he laid next to the vampire, Casper suddenly thought of one more question. He really hadn't asked this one in a long time, but he felt now was the right moment. The last time he asked this he was sure he found a dear friend, and now he was sure he found someone he could love forever.

"Thatch…"

"Yes?"

"... Can I keep you?" The ghost gently spoke, his arms wrapping around the vampire's shoulders; pressing their bodies closer as he almost clung to Thatch. The vampire paused, his brows furrowed at the question. What an odd thing to ask….

"As long as I can keep you, Casper." He smiled faintly. "We'll be there for each other." Casper could feel his chest fill with pride and he giggled, though he tried to contain himself. "You're such a strange ghost." Thatch laughed, causing Casper to lose his self-control. The two laid there in each other's arms, laughing in the dark coffin.

As their laughter died down they could feel the exhaustion of the day sinking in. Casper yawned and stretched out like a cat before he almost curled up, hiding his face in Thatch's shirt. The vampire seemed perfectly content with their positions, his eyes shutting as he too relaxed for the night. The day was rough, but surely tomorrow would be- nope.

The two tensed when they felt the coffin shift, someone was trying to open the lid. Then, when the lid didn't open there was almost a gentle tapping. Thatch's eyes narrowed as he nudged Casper, who looked nervous and turned invisible. Thatch could still feel Casper right there, even if he couldn't see his boyfriend.

Thatch pulled the latch after he put his cloak back on to feel protected and almost as if he needed it to shield bad things away. Once the lock was released Thatch pushed up on the lid, carefully opening it. He was then met with a terribly displeasing sight.

"Dummy Girl…" He almost hissed. The vampire moved to shut the lid and ignore her, but she stuck her hand in and kept it from closing.

"Thatch, we need to talk." She whispered.

"No, go away."

"I'll scream that Casper's missing from his bed." She smirked. Thatch's eyes narrowed. The last thing he wanted was more drama honestly. His eyes briefly flickered over to Casper's empty bed, then back to the intruder.

"Well, he's not here."

"So he must be sneaking around the castle, after hours which is against the rules. And honestly everyone is against you two, I'm sure they'll all be eager to get him in trouble by telling the Headmasters."

"... What do you want?" Thatch sighed heavily and pushed the lid open so they could actually talk, Thatch no longer hiding in the shadows of his coffin.

"Let's go for a walk."

"I rather not."

"We'll get caught here, and if someone wakes up…" She hummed, looking over to Casper's empty bed. Thatch's eyes narrowed, but he climbed out of the warm coffin. He briefly reached back in to open up the storage space under his pillow, pulling out his shoes and putting those on. He had a feeling they wouldn't be going for a nice stroll in the hall. "Good." Dummy Girl smirked and started to walk out. Thatch seemed to be fuming, but he willingly followed without ever once looking back to the coffin where Casper nervously watched, still invisible. Surely this wouldn't end well.


	18. Dummy Girl And Slither

Chapter 18: Dummy Girl And Slither

The second the rule-breaking pair stepped outside Thatch hissed very loudly- like an angry cat before he started to move away from her. He was heading over to a bench, presumably to sit and just try to ignore the talking puppet.

"Come on, let's go talk in the forest. No one will find us there, huh Thatch?" Dummy Girl smirked cockily. Thatch stopped walking and looked back at her, his eyes narrowing as he watched the proud looking piece of wood.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, nothing. I just thought you would prefer the forest. After all, that's where you and Casper go." She said airily.

"... You shouldn't know that."

"But I do, now don't I? Don't worry about how I know, I just got my ways. Now Thatch, please be reasonable and stop all this dumb… dating ideas. I mean, you're a vampire. Why are you dealing with a ghost, let alone a friendly ghost? You're losing your touch." She tried to reason with her old friend. She rather have Thatch back in their group, all theirs again.

The calmly walked towards the vampire, her wooden feet rather loud on the stone path. Thatch made a face, seeming annoyed at every sound she made- let alone her dreadful voice. He just wishes she would shut up.

"I'm fine the way I am, I'm happy." Thatch rolled his eyes. "Now this is just a waste of time. It's late and I'm tired. I rather sleep than see your termite filled face." He snapped and turned away.

"Watch yourself! I'll make sure you and Thrall-Boy suffer if you keep this up! You think you can just ignore me, I was your friend!" She yelled after him, hoping he wouldn't just walk away. It was hard enough getting him out of that dumb coffin.

"... Excuse me?" Thatch paused, glancing back at her.

"You heard me, I'll make sure you suffer."

"Oh, not that, your threats are as hollow as your head. What you said before that." He calmly directed.

"Um…" Dummy Girl paused, a look of confusion on her painted face. "Thrall-Boy?"

"Oh yes, there it is…" Thatch almost hummed. He started to walk towards Dummy Girl, and in turn, she started to take equal steps back. "Thrall-Boy… that's an insult now, isn't it?" He almost hummed. "You know, the way I was raised thrall is just a word we call our most trusted servants… Course, you're implying it as an insult, and to Casper of all people."

"Thrall is an insult, and it's not my fault your parents were the freaks of the vampire world." She snapped harshly. "Your parents and Casper are making you weak. They're all useless to you- holding you back. I want to help you."

"By removing everyone in my way." Thatch sighed- clearly, this was something they discussed a lot.

"Exactly! Crush anyone in your paths, you take over the underworld. Kibosh is done and you rule, and I, your faithful assistant will tend to everything." She sweetly spoke.

"I always thought you were so smart when you came up with that brilliant plan. You were useful to me in my goal to become the best vampire, that's why we are friends, right?" He smiled and offered his hand out. Dummy Girl foolishly took it.

"Well course, I'm just here to make sure you stay-"

"I truly hate you. I despise your existence now. Thrall-Boy, ha… You know how to strike a nerve. Maybe instead of causing laughter- which you can't even do- your power is pissing people off." His moved his hand and grabbed her by her wrist, starting to drag her towards the forest. "You want the forest? Fine- I'll take you there. I hope you'll never leave it."

"O-ow, Thatch that hurts! Let go… Thatch, let me go!"

"Oh no, no Dummy Girl. We're going to go for a stroll in this lovely forest." He hissed. "You know, just last week I found a tree rotten with termites, I'm sure you'll just love that!"

"No!" She started to drag her feet and pull against the vampire's grip. "Thatch you're insane!"

"Not insane, more like terribly pissed. You insulted Casper, my mother, and my father! Someone has to teach you a lesson. Your head has gotten too big, you need to learn your place."

"I'm your friend!"

"You lost that title the second you didn't support me and Casper. Casper is my boyfriend now, someone I can trust with all my secrets and you threatened him, insulted him. How dare you- how dare you! Even before this, I warned you- never, ever, mess with Casper." He hissed and yanked her close, glaring as he watched her fearful eyes. "The first week of school I warned you, that ghost was mine."

"I-I just thought…"

"Thought what? I was a mindless bully that decided he'll be my personal punching bag?" Thatch roughly shoved her back. He seemed done, willing to let the screaming bitch go so he could return back to his coffin where he knew Casper was awaiting him. Dummy Girl seemed to be in an utter rage,- hating the fact that Thatch was just going to ignore her, leave her behind over some dumb ghost. She lunged at the vampire carelessly. Thatch quickly moved aside, letting her completely fly pass and fall onto the stone walkways. Her left ankle broke at the joint from hitting the stone wrong, her foot falling off. Thatch looked at her with mild interest but didn't move to help the attacker. He turned away from her to just leave her there. He had no reason to help her, not even the slightest bit of guilt as he watched her freak out about her snapped ankle.

"Thatch! Thatch help me out here!" She yelled. "Come on, don't leave me like this, Thatch we were friends! W-what if I promise to stay away from Casper?" She added desperately as the vampire ignored her pleas.

The vampire actually stopped, looking curious at the offer. "You'll stay away from Casper…?"

"Yes, whatever you want. Come on Thatch, don't leave me like this!"

"... Let's make a deal." He decided as he walked over to the broken puppet. "You'll leave Casper and his friends alone. You'll also leave Slither alone. Got it?"

"Y-you can't take Slither from me."

"I didn't take him. He followed me, like a true friend." He said simply. "Accept my rules, and I'll help you." He offered simply, holding his hand out to Dummy Girl. "I know how to fix your leg. It'll be good as new."

"I despise you."

"Likewise."

"... I hate losing."

"Next time pick the winning side."

"You're making a mistake…"

"The only mistake I made was not doing this sooner. You'll understand if you ever manage to find love." He sighed softly. "Now stop the insults. Do you want my help or not?"

"I'll leave you all alone, help me." She weakly begged. Thatch moved and lifted Dummy Girl up into his arms. He also picked up her broken foot before he started to carry the traitorous has-been friend back into the castle. Thatch had no reason to help her, but Casper was probably rubbing off on him. He'll trust her to keep her side of the deal, and in turn, he'll fulfill his side.

Casper better be happy about this… Ugh!

Thatch actually carried Dummy Girl all the way back to the boy's dorm, going over to the coffin. He had a feeling Casper was there, hiding in wait but he didn't say anything. He set the broken puppet beside the coffin- ha, as if he'll ever let her in it.

He let her rest on the floor as he reached into the coffin, lifting up the main bulk of the mattress, revealing many little compartments. One of them had a lock. He pulled a small bronze key from his pocket and used it to unlock the matching lock. He then started to shuffle through all the supplies. It was a bunch of bottles and tools, all labeled and well tended. Thatch sighed heavily.

"You better be happy… I'm wasting some of my father's knowledge on your dumb ankle." He muttered as he picked up a small bottle. He then settled down beside Dummy Girl. "Hold your foot to the joint."

"How will that help?"

"Shut up and do it before I change my mind." He grumbled. The puppet looked offended but having no real right to argue she held her foot to the broken joint. Thatch then added a few drops onto the joint, just a few small drops ever so carefully placed before he sealed the bottle up tightly. "My dad was an utterly genius… you better never insult him again." He muttered and put the bottle back into the locked compartment.

Dummy Girl could only watch in amazement as the wood on the joint seemed to grow, though from the expression she made it clearly wasn't comfortable, and probably an unnerving sight so see branches sprout from her wooden leg, grabbing the foot from her hand and repairing itself good as new. She wiggled her foot, testing it out carefully. It seemed strong and sturdy- better than her other ankle even. She turned to Thatch, who was already climbing into his coffin- fully ignoring Dummy Girl. Before she even spoke Thatch shut the lid and pulled the latch, sealing himself in.

He was so done. Thatch sat in silence, his pointed ear pressed to the wood as he listened- hearing Dummy Girl finally leave the boys dorm. He could only hope she kept up her side of the deal and left them all alone.

The vampire sighed and fell back onto the mattress, his arms placed over his eyes as he just tried to tune everything out. He could feel all the emotions coming to the surface. His throat tightened and his eyes stung with the effort to keep the tears in. He really didn't want to cry, the acid would ruin everything. He sniffled softly, and he surprisingly wasn't surprised when he felt a gentle pair of hands start to pet his hair, trying to sooth the upset vampire.

"Casper…" Thatch whispered softly. He slowly moved his arms and looked to the ghost, who was by his side once more with a gentle smile. "I… Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," Casper answered easily. "Are you? Do you need a hug?" He offered. Thatch just nodded and Casper took his rightful spot beside him, hugging the vampire tightly. "We don't have to talk about it… but I hope you're ok." He whispered. The two just held onto each other, letting their exhaustion take over as they fell asleep.

As Casper opened his eyes he stretched out- only to realize he was being held. For a moment he was confused in the dark coffin, but it came back to him and he faintly smiled as he snuggled close to the sleeping vampire. Thatch was still asleep, his father's cloak draped over himself and Casper. Casper had woken up first… What to do now?

Casper was unsure if he should wake Thatch up, go back to sleep or get up. Honestly, it was the first time he'd woken before the vampire. He knew Thatch was a light sleeper, so he was surprised the vampire didn't wake up when he stretched. Perhaps Thatch was exhausted after last night? He didn't know what happened between Thatch and Dummy Girl- all he knew was Dummy Girl got injured and Thatch fixed her…

Casper faintly smiled as he stared up at the vampire. Thatch's breathing was steady, and the rise and fall of his chest even as he peacefully slept. His gray skin was warm to the touch- Casper found it so strange. Jimmy always talked about vampires and the movies they were in. Most of the time Jimmy said vampires were cold to the touch, like a corpse. But then again, Thatch was alive.

Casper started to take in other features, like the vampire's messy hair when he slept, to his sharp pearly white fangs poking out of his mouth. Then the adorable pointed ears the vampire possessed, it was so strange to the once human monster. Jimmy said magical elves also had pointed ears- which Casper couldn't help but stifle a giggle. Honestly, Thatch was so interesting to just study.

He actually wanted to pick up a book and start studying vampires, but Thatch mentioned their next lesson would be on all sorts of monsters- and they just finished up their big unit yesterday. He actually felt excited to go to class, to study his fellow students and generally learn more about monsters.

But that was then, and this was now. Casper smiled gently and rested a hand on the chest of the vampire, feeling his beating heart. It was nice to just be here beside the other, to relax and not worry about the horrors outside the coffin that would await them. He briefly wondered if he should go back to his own bed so they wouldn't be found out- and that was probably the right thing to do…. But he didn't want to leave Thatch. Sleeping beside someone was so comforting and he missed the safe feeling he got when he did.

But Casper didn't get much of a choice when he heard a gentle tap on the side of the coffin. Thatch shifted in his sleep, a look of displeasure crossing his once peaceful expression. Casper frowned, not wanting the vampire to wake up yet so he turned invisible and poked his head out. He saw Slither standing by the coffin, looking confused. The room was still dark, everyone still asleep. It was about 30 minutes before all the alarms would go off and wake the students for their lessons.

Casper fazed out of the coffin and allowed himself to be seen, weakly smiling at the snake creature. Slither recoiled a bit, moving away from the coffin. Casper just tried to keep smiling, hoping maybe he could get on better terms with the bully- or uh, has been bully.

"Shh Slither, don't wake up Thatch."

"I wanted… to uh," Slither glanced off, nervously wrapping his two long arms together, almost like how people would wring their hands together when nervous. Casper tried not to smile- when he slowed down and saw them for more than what he thought they were, he could actually see some new things, little quirks, and their insecurities.

"You wanted to… talk to Thatch?" The ghost carefully finished. Slither looked around the room, ensuring everyone was asleep before he nodded. "Why?"

"I… Last week Thatch snuck into Dr. Buns office to take a look on the new unit… T-today we start it and…."

"And?"

"We're going to be discussing me, each lesson is centered around a student and their kind…"

"Oh," Casper started. He was curious about what Slither actually was, but he tried not to show his excitement when he saw the gray monster was clearly rattled by the thought of the class studying him. "It'll be ok." Casper tried to comfort the other, who just kept looking at the coffin. "Let Thatch rest," Casper gently directed. He moved over to Slither, resting a hand on the other's shoulder as he led him out of the dorms into the halls- to avoid waking up the others.

"I rather talk to Thatch," he said gloomily but followed where he was lead. Casper was just happy Slither was easier to direct- better than Ra. Ra was always so stubborn and refuses to follow Casper even if the ghost just wanted to protect or help him.

"I know you do, but Thatch had a bit of a… problem last night. Dummy Girl came and woke him up… they went out for a walk and I think they got into a fight."

"Is Thatch hurt?"

"No, he's fine but… Let's just let him sleep as much as he can. You can talk to him at breakfast… You can talk in front of me, Mantha and Ra. It'll be fine…"

"I dunno… I just wanted…"

"Wanted?"

"Thatch is a good friend… He's good at calming me down…"

"And you to him." Casper sweetly said. "What you did yesterday was great, protecting and calming Thatch when everyone was targeting us…" As Casper spoke Slither just looked down, falling silent. "Slither? You can talk to me."

"Can I? Just a while ago we were fighting, I threatened you."

"You were protecting Thatch-"

"I hated you."

"... Hated me?"

"You… You were getting too close to Thatch. What if he leaves me?"

"Oh, Slither…" Casper sighed softly and offered his hand to Slither, who did not take it. Casper watched worriedly. "Thatch won't leave you, he really sees you as a friend. He speaks fondly of you."

"...Does he?"

"Yes, Slither." The ghost tried to comfort the other. "He really does. You two are friends, don't you trust him?" When Slither nodded slowly Casper relaxed. "See? Then why worry? Just trust in Thatch- everything will be fine for now… Go rest up some more before the alarms go off, ok?" He instructed. Slither nodded once more and followed the ghost back into their dorms. Casper watched as Slither made his way back into the bed, ever so silent as he moved. It was a bit creepy that Slither made no sounds, but then again he didn't exactly have feet- so no footsteps.

Casper sighed and reentered Thatch's sealed coffin, smiling when he saw the vampire was still peacefully asleep. Perfect. Casper laid right back down and shut his eyes. He'll stay here, he didn't care. Let the others find his empty bed- it didn't matter. They were already bending so many rules, what was another one? Let people judge them, they already were.


	19. Rough Morning And Slithers Lesson

Chapter 19: Rough Morning And Slither's Lesson

Casper hadn't been able to go back to sleep, instead spending the last few minutes of the early morning gazing up at Thatch and admiring his sleeping boyfriend. When the alarms started to go off around the room Casper could hear them faintly, and they woke Thatch up easily. Honestly, if Casper hadn't been awake the ghost knew he would have slept through the faint sound- good thing Thatch was a light sleeper.

The tired vampire yawned and stretched lightly before he opened his eyes, first looking at the lid of the coffin tiredly before he noted Casper by his side. A smile came to his lips and he wrapped his arms around the ghost, nuzzling him. "Ah, I thought it was just a dream…"

Casper shook his head and laughed softly. "It's no dream, Thatch… Now come on, time to get up." He teased.

"Yeah yeah, go get some clothes on marshmallow." He teased, quickly kissing Casper's cheek before the ghost fazed out of Thatch's coffin. Casper only made it halfway back to his bed before he heard a thud from Thatch's coffin. After a moment it slowly opened and Thatch got out, rubbing his hurting head.

"Ugh… it was locked." He muttered weakly, carrying his clean outfit for the day to the bathroom so he could go change into it, his cape currently draped over his head to just keep the light far away from him as possible. Seems the normally awake vampire was actually sleepy for once.

Casper rolled his eyes and went to his bed. Casper noticed the bag of clothes under his bed had been… moved. His eyes narrowed and he carefully grabbed the bag, pulling it out. He nervously opened it, then let out a soft yelp as dozens of spiders crawled out. Casper dropped the bag and floated off the ground, letting the spiders scurry off, causing some of the other students to freak out as well.

Slither seemed utterly unfazed by the spiders, watching them scurry off as he moved over to Casper. "I didn't know you liked spiders…"

"I don't." Casper frowned deeply. "Someone stuffed my bag full of- oh no…" Casper quickly reopened the bag, and much to his horror all the clothes Thatch had gotten him had some sort of liquid, or drink poured all over them, making them wet and sticky. No way he could wear them like this. Oh well, he'll just have to go to class like he normally did. He sighed, pushing the bag back under his bed to deal with later.

He sadly floated over to Ra's sarcophagus and knocked on the lid, and when he got no response he knocked louder. The lid of the sarcophagus slowly opened and Ra groaned tiredly as he sat up, looking dead as ever. "Morning Ra," Casper greeted kindly and helped the mummy climb out.

"Morning Casp…" the mummy tiredly greeted as he rubbed his eyes. He started to head for the dorm doors as per usual, just wanting and dragging his feet. Casper weakly smiled and glanced back into the room, looking at Slither who looked like a lost puppy just hanging around Thatch's coffin. Casper motioned for him to follow and the gloomy monster followed suit, following the ghost and the half-asleep mummy out in the hall where they normally wait for Mantha.

Mantha left her room looking… pretty rough. Her hair was messed up and she was currently carrying her right arm, carefully reattaching it back to her body.

"Rough morning?" Casper weakly smiled. Mantha did not look impressed.

"Stupid Harpy took my arms and feet. All I gotta say is, I plucked a few feathers and she is so not happy." She smirked, looking rather pleased with herself. "No one messes with me… Hey, where's Thatch?"

"Getting changed," Slither whispered, only to have Ra talk over him.

"Probably fussing in the bathroom with his crazy hair." The mummy yawned. Slither looked mildly annoyed but said nothing to Ra. They still had a long way to go before they could be considered being friendly with each other. Mantha just sighed and shook her head. She glanced down the hall, seeming a bit more relaxed once she spotted the vampire heading their way. Casper smiled and waved shyly, which earned a perplexed look from the vampire.

"Casper where are your clothes?" He said as he approached. Slither went to Thatch's side right away, keeping close to the young vampire. The snake monster was constantly fidgeting, nervous and itching to talk to Thatch, but the vampire was a bit too focused on the ghost.

"I… Someone… Poured soda on my clothes… I'll have to go get them cleaned." The ghost sighed heavily. Thatch's eyes narrowed and right away Casper held the vampire's hand. "It's ok, don't get mad. The other students will come to accept this, they just need time."

"They better fix themselves or I'll fight them." He hissed loudly, glancing back towards the boy's dorm, eyes narrowed in distrust. Thatch just didn't know who would do this… It pissed him off to think someone went after Casper. Casper of all people! They should be fighting him, not the friendly ghost. Casper seemed to be taking a note from Slither's look, just looking up at the vampire and trying to calm him with gentle words. It seemed to be working at least, Casper was able to direct the vampire and start to lead them all towards the cafeteria. The last thing the blue-eyed ghost wanted was some sort of fight to happen.

Breakfast was uneventful, really quiet actually. Casper just noticed Dummy Girl glaring a lot from across the room. Also, Slither wasn't taking the opportunity to talk to Thatch- which also confused the ghost. He thought he had gotten through to the gloomy monster… Perhaps Slither didn't want to talk anymore?

With breakfast being uneventful they were able to move into their class without a hitch. As they all sat at their desks in Dr. Burns class they noted everything from their last unit was put away. The teacher was at his desk, shuffling through some notes currently. Slither hid behind Thatch as they walked in, and sat right behind the vampire as they all started to sit down, sitting beside Mantha instead of Ra now. The mummy didn't mind, just ignoring most things as he laid his head down and took a quick power nap.

Casper worriedly looked at the mummy. Why was Ra so tired lately? Has the mummy been staying up too late or something- he'll simply have to ask when he got a chance. But for now, Casper just smiled and looked up at Thatch, who was sitting in his rightful spot beside the ghost. "You look tired," he noted softly. Thatch just nodded and offered a weak smile to the ghost. He didn't want to admit he was tired from his late-night fight with Dummy Girl, especially not to Casper.

As the students started to funnel in Casper couldn't help but to notice Harpy was missing a few feathers on her head. Serves her right for picking a fight with Mantha! That zombie could pack quite the punch when she wanted. Another thing he noticed was the two skellingtons were… separated. One sat beside Dummy Girl, and the other sat beside Wolfie, looking utterly fuming as she took out her stuff.

"Monaco, what are you doing over here?" Casper leaned back in his seat and asked. Wolfie didn't seem to mind having a desk buddy, though he did put his favorite bone in his bag. After all, it would be rude chewing on a bone in front of a skeleton.

"Ugh, like Mickey is just being… ugh." She rolled her eyes and tossed her hair back away from her face. "She's all up and gossiping about how you and Thatch shouldn't be together with Dummy Girl. But I like, really don't mind. As long as Thatch isn't tossing my favorite shoes into the lake, I don't care!" She rolled her eyes after briefly glaring over at her normal desk buddy. Mickey huffed and turned away, going back to talking to Dummy Girl.

"Oh, sorry about your shoes…" Thatch spoke up softly. Casper looked rather surprised, watching the guilty looking vampire turn around to look at Monaco. "I won't mess with them again, promise." He offered a shy smile. The skeleton girl seemed a bit freaked out at Thatch being nice… But either way, she nodded.

"Uh, like… Apology accepted?" She said carefully, her eyes narrowed in suspicion, but when Casper just smiled she couldn't help but to relax. Maybe the ghost's friendly attitude was really contagious after all or something.

When Thatch turned away she gave Casper a look, and all the ghost could do was shrug. He didn't ask Thatch to do that after all. Casper smiled and leaned against the vampire, whose face was darkening as he stubbornly stared at the desk in front of them. "That was really nice of you." Casper praised.

"O-oh whatever. It's no big deal." He stuttered lightly. Casper just smiled and relaxed, watching the vampire take out his notebook and favored pen. Now that Casper was close he could see the gold trimming on it, and the small bat engraved into the lid. He also noticed, along the barrel of the pen the name 'Vincent' was inscribed. Casper knew right away why Thatch always used this pen and went through the pain of changing the ink cartridges inside the pen. It was his father's… Thatch was just so sentimental and cute!

"Now then, class!" Dr. Burns spoke loudly, getting the attention of the very distracted class. "Today we start a new unit!" He said excitedly, his wings flapping happily. "We're going to be studying each other! Every day now we will be going student to student and talking about what they are. To get us started we'll be doing Slither today. Slither, step up here!" He ordered.

Slither looked like he wanted to crawl back under the desks. Again.

But Mantha nudged the poor monster and Slither ever so slowly went up to Dr. Burns before he turned to look at the class as instructed.

"Very good. Now, can anyone take a guess at what Slither is?"

"A slug?" Mickey laughed with Dummy Girl near the back of the classroom, but it was loud enough everyone could hear them.

"A weird land walking octopus?" Mosshead grumbled bitterly, his arms crossed over his chest. Seems he wasn't taking it lightly that Slither had sided with Thatch.

"That's a trick question, sir." Thatch said as he raised his hand. "Slither isn't just any typical monster. He's actually a mix of many serpent-like monsters. The most notable in his bloodline is a naga, a half snake and half fleshie looking creature. The most famous, and most powerful one can be traced all the way back to Medusa." The vampire said confidently. "Slither is from a long line of serpent monsters, and has lost many of the fleshie like qualities a naga normally has."

"Correct, Thatch!" Dr. Burns blew smoke from his nostrils. "At least someone bothered to do research on their fellow students." He huffed. "After all, every monster should strive to be the best, and that means about knowing how to beat their fellow monsters… Now then." Dr. Burns turned away and on the board started to go over the whole serpent city in the underworld just dedicated to people of Slither's kind, while the gloomy monster was forced to stand at the front of the class and have everyone stare at him.

He kept glancing over at Thatch, giving him a relieved look that the vampire had spoke up and saved him the embarrassment of talking about himself. But Slither had relaxed far too soon.

"Now then, if we look under Slither's robes," Dr. Burns said as he walked over. "Slither, do you mind lifting your robe just a bit for us to see?" It was more of an order than a question. "Honestly your kind don't even wear clothes normally."

"...I like to…" Slither could only whisper in the smallest voice of protest. But under the gaze of the temperamental teacher, he just sighed. It wasn't like there was anything to show like the teacher claimed. He just got cold easily. The stone floors felt awful on his scales.

Slither calmly used his tentacle-like hands to pull off his purple shaded robes and set it on the floor behind himself. He just felt like disappearing as he felt everyone watching him. His lower half was like a snake, green scales. He actually had a tail, always hidden by the robe and on the edge was a rattle, like a rattlesnake had. It was also stripped at the end of his tail similar to his 'hands'. Around his stomach area is where his pale skin turned to green scales. As Slither grew more worried the end of his tail shook, rattling the rattle nervously. It was normally muffled and stopped by his robes- which were actually weighted around the bottom to make sure they dragged and covered his tail at all times.

"Good," Dr. Burns started "now as we see since Slither is very young his tail actually has not grown to its full size. When he is an adult the snake-like part of his body will actually be twice as long as his full-grown torso, and by the time he has grown I'm sure his fangs will have finally come in- and when they do he'll have poison like the ever so common rattlesnake."

Everyone had been poking fun at Slither before… Not anymore. Dummy Girl sat slack-jawed as she watched her former friend at the front of the class. Slither wasn't pleased with all the staring and looked down, his long light gray hair falling in front of his face- like he was just trying to shut the world out.

"Now as we know snakes are inherently scary to the dumb fleshies, giving Slither a natural advantage. Also, when fully grown he'll actually be able to wrap around the fleshies and even have enough power to squeeze them until their eyeballs pop out of their skulls!" He blew smoke happily.

"Now that we talked about some of the advantages, now to talk about some of the disadvantages." He hummed. "Slither here, being a serpent monster is cold-blooded, and therefore when he gets a chill he'll get sleepy, and in most cases fall asleep until he's warmed again. Since it's cold in the school he wears that robe for his health, and has weekly checks with the nurse to the general environment of the school." Everyone felt pity for Slither, friend or foe. The nurse was an utter terror to all.

"Serpent type monsters are always hatched from eggs, and once hatched their parents properly abandon them to grow up and survive on their own- like their snake relatives do." He said excitedly. "Course due to circumstances their population is beginning to decrease. Smaller forests and hunting grounds are pushing their kind to retreat back to the Underworld, where it's not exactly the ideal spot for them…. Let's see, what else am I forgetting?" He muttered as he walked back to his desk, leaving Slither at the front of the class without his robes.

"Oh yes, here we go. Slither is able to extend his arms to extreme lengths to catch his targets if he can not chase after them." He noted calmly. "Not exactly a common trait, but as Thatch said Slither is not a normal serpent monster. Thank you Slither, you may go sit." He dismissed the gray-eyed student, who hurriedly put on his robes and made his way back to his seat where he just felt like sinking into the shadows until he no longer existed.

Casper turned around at his desk to offer Slither a smile. Thatch had been dutifully taking notes, so he and Casper could share them actually. He just let the ghost listen so he wouldn't miss anything on Slither.

"Next class, students," Dr. Burns raised his voice over the bell. "We'll be going over a more common monster, zombies," He said as he directly looked at Mantha. "Class dismissed!" He said firmly. All the students now started to gather their stuff, excitedly talking about the way more interesting lessons. Slither just kept his head down and snaked his way over to Thatch, lightly tugging on the vampire's cloak.

Thatch turned to his friend and sighed. "Slither it's ok, you did great. Everyone knows you're really scary and powerful now." He encouraged the monster, who just shook his head. "Well, what's wrong then?"

"I'm cold… and sleepy."

"Oh, bloodbats…" Thatch muttered. "Come on, we got a bit before next class." He offered as he took Slither's arm and guided his friend out. Casper just smiled and watched, his heart fluttering. Honestly, Thatch only became more appealing when he was kind and helping others.


	20. Bittersweet Memories

Chapter 20: Bittersweet Memories

Casper followed Thatch, staying invisible so he wouldn't get caught. He even kept a safe distance behind Thatch and Slither simply because he was worried he'll back caught. He watched asThatch gently guided his sleepy friend along, having to almost pull him down into the basement of the school, where the incinerator was. It was cold and quiet down here too, so the vampire was almost dragging his serpent friend across the stone floor just so he could place Slither before the incinerator.

Casper watched curiously as Thatch opened the large grated front of the incinerator, letting the flames be exposed to the cool air in the room. Thatch flinched back at the intense heat that spewed from the metal machine, but he didn't let that slow him. The vampire then helped Slither get a bit closer to the flames so he could warm up faster.

"There." The vampire said happily as he sat beside his cold friend. "I didn't realize it was so cold in Dr. Burns classroom." He noted as he looked around the creepy basement filled with tons of trash bags. Casper flinched back, staying keep in the shadows. He knew he couldn't be seen, but for a moment his heart jumped at the thought of being caught, though Casper almost wished it didn't follow.

It was gross down here, but it was the only place Thatch was able to find an open flame he could get Slither to in times like these. Casper would figure it wasn't the first time Thatch had to do this, he knew the path too well and treated this like a common occurrence. Casper silently wished the school would at least add some carpeted rugs in the hallways or something, it'll make it easier on Slither's scales.

"Hmmn, freezing when he isn't spewing fire. The school is always freezin'," Slither sleepily said, yawning as he rubbed his tired eyes. "Cold-blooded, no robes- ugh… That was awful, everyone was staring at me." Slither actually spoke, not just whispered or grumbled like was ever so common. Thatch nodded contently and stared into the flames, resting beside the gray monster. Thatch was briefly worried about being late to their class, but then again it was just gym. "Bet Casper will be here any moment," Slither mumbled softly, trying his best to smile at the vampire.

"Oh I got a feeling he's already watching and waiting for my permission to come out, isn't that right marshmallow!?" Thatch called out into the dark room, his violet eyes narrowing as he ever so carefully listened. He seemed to just know Casper would follow, the ghost was so adorably clingy, needy for attention and as always, concerned about other students like Slither. And of course, he was right.

After a few moments, Casper guiltily appeared, slowly floating over to the two with his head hanging and nervously fiddling with his hands. "I just wanted to make sure everything was okay… Slither?" Casper gently spoke. The serpent monster turned his head away from the ghost, just resting before the flames like a cat in a nice cozy warm in winter.

"I'm fine…" Slither muttered after a long silent moment, stretching out- his rattlesnake-like tail moving out from under his robes. It wiggles gently as he rested before the fire, slowly warming up. "Thanks for worrying."

"Wow, uh…" Casper looked to Thatch. It was weird to be hearing Slither actually talk so much- and so willingly. Casper had fully expected to be brushed off. Thatch seemed to understand Casper's confusion.

"Oh, Slither gets talkative when he's cold or sleepy… It's worse when it's both. That's actually how we became friends." Thatch grinned a bit as he watched Slither. Clearly, Thatch had such fond memories of the time, which only made Casper increasingly curious.

"Really?" Casper moved, sitting down beside Thatch on his other side. He kept peering over at Slither, but not daring to get close to the snake-like monster.

"Yeah, we met before school started. I was exploring the Underworld stores for school supplies when I found his dumb snake butt asleep in some alley." Thatch laughed. Slither huffed briefly raising his head to look at the vampire. "Oh don't huff at me, you're the fool for going out with no jacket. That area of town gets cold, and unlike your area of the city there are no safe spots."

"It sucked." Slither defended simply. "I thought all places in the Underworld had spots with heat lamps."

"No, that's just in the serpent area." Thatch chuckled lightly, seeming rather content to be beside his dear friend Slither, and his beloved Casper. This simply couldn't get any better for the vampire. Slither rolled his eyes and looked back towards the flames, starting to feel a bit better.

"Wait, so what happened after you found him?" Casper pressed, gently smiling. He wanted to know all the details honestly. Thatch's life just seemed so interesting. Thatch hummed in thought, looking to Slither who just shrugged.

"Well…"

Thatch sighed heavily, holding a list his mother had written for him. He had been told to go to the Underworld house and get his supplies for school, then stay at the house until the ship came to take him to school the next day. He was sad his mother wasn't there, but it wasn't like he had much of a choice. His mother would never leave the safety of the castle- not now and not for a very long time, Thatch already knew that.

The vampire read the list for about the dozenth time as he entered the shopping area of the Underworld. Shops lined the twisting streets, candy shops with bloodworms and gummy eyes, bookstores full of old dusty books to the demanded school books. Thatch felt nervous shopping alone. He hadn't been without his mother since… Ever. But he knew what he had to do- make her proud and be the best vampire he could be. The vampire kept reading the list over and over as he walked down the street, his eyes briefly lifting up to look at the store signs.

He was already a screwup- being sent to this dumb Scare School because he was a failure of a vampire… Well, he didn't want to be. He would be the biggest, scariest vampire there was- whoa what was that?

Thatch stopped walking, staring down a small, thin alley he had almost passed. Right at the entrance was… something. It was curled up, a green tail coiled around a thin gray body. Thatch glanced around nervously. No one seemed to even glance at whatever that thing was, just going along their normal day.

Did monsters not help other monsters here? The vampire looked back at the curled… thing and took a deep breath. Well, maybe he could do once last kind deed before he swore to be the most horrifying vampire ever. Thatch stepped into the alley and gently nudged the green scaly tail with his new shoes he had just gotten for school, and to his surprise, the mass curled up tighter on itself. Ok, at least it wasn't dead.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Thatch frowned and nudged the mass again. When he got no answer he sighed and carefully circled the mass, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. He decided the gray half of this thing had to be the upper half, right? So the vampire kneeled down and gently rested a hand on what he thought was its back. "Hey, you. Come on, you got to get up." He spoke, shaking the monster. This time he finally earned something- a soft whine.

The mass moved and whatever it was uncoiled. Thatch was now able to see a more humanoid upper torso- if one could call it that. Gray skin, light gray hair with dark gray eyes- geez so much gray. He was surprised the scales weren't gray as well.

The creature didn't speak, just rubbing his tired eyes with his long tentacle-like arms before he almost fell back down to the cold ground, too tired to stay up. Thatch had managed to catch his upper body and let the fellow monster rest his head on his lap instead of the hard ground.

"Oh bloodbats," he whispered. The gray skin was cold to the touch, utterly freezing. "Are you ok? You're so cold- are you ill? My house isn't far… Come on." He decided on his own, not even waiting for an answer as he instructed the creature, trying to pull the monster up again. He placed his arm around the other's chest, having the gray monster toss one of his arms over his shoulders. Thatch groaned, struggling to stand and help the very weak monster lift itself up. "Oh, you need to lose some weight." He angrily whispered as he started to lead the other out…

It had to be the longest walk in Thatch's life. He had to stop multiple times to just catch his breath- for the other kept falling forward, making Thatch rush and barely catch him every time. He was starting to wonder why he bothered to help the other when he finally reached his Underworld home- a simple one-story building. While simple and dark on the outside he enjoyed the inside which had tons of comfortable furniture and books for days.

Thatch led the freezing serpent monster into the front room and set him on the rug before the fireplace. He then got a nice fire going, putting a kettle over the flames to make some nice hot tea to try to warm his not exactly expect guest up. He always glanced back at the weird creature, half expecting to be attacked at any moment- but it never came.

The child-sized monster just rested on the soft rug and had his eyes open now, staring at the flames. He wasn't coiled up, instead, he stretched out before the fire as he tried to absorb all the heat. He didn't even react when the kettle let out that annoying high pitched whistle.

Thatch made himself and the creature a nice hot cup of tea, though he didn't know how the other could hold anything with those weird hands. "Uh, here?" He offered the cup out. Much to Thatch's surprise, the other was able to move now, and he found it fascinating how the monster held the cup, just wrapping the strange tentacle around it, then having the thinner end of his hand actually coil around the handle.

Thatch fell silent, forgetting to drink his tea as he watched his guest drink his warm drink ever so eagerly. That seemed to do the trick before the other actually sat up now, and managed to stay up. The serpent looked at his empty cup, then held it out to Thatch. Without question Thatch just handed his own drink over to the other and took the empty cup in return.

"Whoa… I thought for sure you were a goner." Thatch muttered.

"Nah, just got cold." The thing finally spoke. "I couldn't find a heat lamp."

"A heat lamp?"

"In my part of town, there are tons… I couldn't find any near the stores. I just needed to get my school supplies." He mumbled. Thatch perked up.

"School supplies? You mean Scare School?"

"Yes," he sighed heavily. "Please don't make fun of me for it. I know I'm a failure of a monster."

"N-No, I mean uh, I'll be going to Scare School too. The ship will be picking me up tomorrow here. How about you stay with me tonight and we can leave together tomorrow?" Honestly, Thatch just didn't want to be alone, no matter how comfortable this house was. He just wasn't ready to be alone for an entire night. "You can stay by the fire while I get our supplies."

"Are you sure?"

"Well yeah, course!" Thatch said happily and stood up. "I need to get mine anyways- oh wait how rude. I"m Thatch Manora. Who are you?"

"... Huh?"

"Your name. I'm Thatch, and you are…"

"I don't have a name… Call me… serpent thing. Everyone does."

"I couldn't do that." Thatch recoiled. He could just imagine the unhappy look his mother would have if she found out he called someone that. "Surely your parents call you something."

"I don't have parents." The thing said simply, sipping on his new cup of tea much slower than the one before. He stretched out his tail, slight rattling the rattle as he felt better.

"Oh well… Sorry about that." Thatch muttered. "I guess we can give you a name. Got anything you want to be called?" Thatch grinned. The gray-eyed monster shook his head and Thatch sighed. The other soon to be student was no help. "How about," Thatch drew out as he looked the other over. "Slither? That sounds scary and cool. I think it suits you."

"Slither." The other repeated carefully, then nodded. "I like it."

"Well then Slither, it's great to meet you. I can't wait for us to become great friends!" Thatch laughed softly, resting a hand on Slither's shoulder, earning a small smile from his new found friend.

"You named Slither?" Casper smiled, nuzzling the vampire oh so fondly. Thatch flushed at the affection and turned his head away.

"Well yeah, he needed something and uh… I thought it suited him, right Slither?"

"Yeah." The serpent monster nodded, sitting up. He was looking much better now, back to normal it seemed. Casper just couldn't help but to giggle and kiss the vampire's cheek. He couldn't believe after all this time he was just missing the softer side of Thatch- it was just there and he never looked hard enough to find it.

"During the holidays Slither stays at my Underworld home and I go back to mom. Last holiday I managed to get mom to agree to meet Slither… It didn't go well. I forgot mom hates snakes." Thatch weakly smiled. Slither huffed angrily, rattling his tail annoyedly. "Hey I'm sorry, at least you're ok." Thatch laughed lightly, holding his hands up innocently.

Casper looked concerned but Thatch quickly comforted the ghost. "He just stayed in my room like you did, nice and safe." He assured the ghost. "Now, we should get to the gym before we're late." He decided as he got up, stretching and dusting his clothes off. He then held his hand out to Casper, who took it even if he just floated to his feet. Being a ghost was so nice honestly.

Slither fixed his robes up and shook himself dust free. He silently started to lean the way, and Casper slowed down and carefully watched Slither. He honestly never slowed down to see how Slither dealt with stairs, and despite the robe, he was determined to see how he got up then. From a standard view it looked like Slither was just gliding up them, but when Casper took in the small details, the wrinkles and movements in the robes he could almost imagine that green tail moving back and forth on each step, pushing him forward. Thatch was following right behind Slither but stopped when he saw Casper hadn't moved a single step.

"Hey come on marshmallow, we got to go." He softly laughed. Casper flushed and quickly flew over to Thatch, grabbing his hand gently. "Better," the vampire hummed softly and continued to climb up the stairs with his two favorite people in the whole school.


	21. Tragic Incident

Chapter 21: Tragic Incident

Thatch, Slither, and Casper barely made it into gym class right as the bell rang. The teacher could only look at them disapprovingly as they rushed over to the bulk of the class. But of course, he never seemed to approve of anything short of the best. It was like his brain couldn't see the gray area, only black and white. It was annoying but who were they to speak out against their dimwitted gym teacher. "Now that we're all here, we'll be doing our physical today." His voice boomed in the large room, louder than necessary to talk to the class of children before him. Many of the students groaned, knowing exactly what that would entail. Thatch seemed really annoyed by it, adjusting the tightness on his cloak by his father's bat clasp so it was firmly held to his shoulders. Casper weakly smiled, rubbing the back of his neck. Geez, today was certainly a day.

The first thing they had to do was chase that dumb stuffed fleshie around the track and keep up with it, and so they did. Casper always hated this task because wouldn't he just float after something if he really wanted to catch up? But in this exercise, he was forced to run like everyone else. As they did every lap their teacher made notes on the clipboard, timing and judging everyone. Casper just wanted to keep pace with Thatch more than anything, though Thatch was being a try hard so Casper actually had to put in a good bit of effort to stay at the front of the pack of students. As they ran Casper kept looking over to the vampire, and he swore every time he did he was going to trip himself up.

Thatch's eyes were so focused on the stuffed fleshie always out of reach. The way his cloak blew behind him, so smooth and hiding his quick movements as he ran. Honestly, it was enchanting to watch, though not as soothing as when Casper would watch the vampire write. Something about the calm elegance suited thatch much more, even if Thatch seemed amazing in any situation, at least in Casper's eyes.

After the normal 5 minute run, they were instructed to climb up a rope. Again, Casper found it dumb. He could fly, and so could Thatch. Why would they be required to do such a thing? The ghost rolled his eyes, watching one by one as the students tried to climb. A few could, some couldn't. Honestly, it was like trying to make a monkey and a goldfish climb a tree, it wasn't a fair test to judge them all. But this was Scare School and things were bound to be unfair, so he just sucked it up.

When it was Thatch's turn Casper admittedly watched closer, seeing the vampire huff and start to climb up the rope. He did find it odd how Thatch climbed. Most people just tried to go up and down it like a pole, but when Thatch climbed he made the bottom of the rope wrap around his right ankle, and as he went up he was able to use his right leg to push down against the wrapped rope, pushing him up more. It seemed pretty effective, this way Thatch never lost any ground as he climbed- like some students did when they accidentally slipped up.

"Hey Mantha, what is Thatch doing?" Casper whispered to his zombie friend. Casper hoped the zombie knew more than he like always, and so it was only natural to turn to his friend whenever he had a question. He knew he was going to be doing that a lot with Thatch, after all, it had been Ra and Mantha he turned to when he felt his emotions get all jumbled up in the first place. Mantha pushed her purple hair back and shrugged lazily as she stared up, watching the vampire climb.

"I dunno really, I've seen fleshies do the same thing when climbing. Apparently, it's how they climb a lot of the time."

"Really, when did you learn this?"

"At Jimmy's school- that day we were sent in to see if we could scare his whole gym class." She noted simply, her arms crossed over her chest. The ghost knew Mantha hated this test, and for good reasons. Casper nodded and continued to watch the vampire as he reached the top. Thatch tapped the ceiling beam, then as he loosened the wrap on his ankle he easily slid back down, softly landing with a gentle thud on the padded mattress below the rope. Thatch dusted his hands off and grinned proudly as he walked over to Casper, the class thoroughly impressed with the vampire's skills- as was perusal. At times like these such things of who's side you were on was often casted out of mind, instead of more focused on grades and more important things- which was a relief to the new couple. For the first time in a long time, things actually felt normal, the way it should be.

"Good job," Casper said happily. Thatch shrugged and held the ghost's hand again, his chest puffed out proudly, but Thatch stood at such an angle the teacher couldn't see their hands intertwined. Casper understood why. Students were a battle, getting the teachers involved would be a war. They just wanted the peace to last as long as it could for now. Just them being them, doing normal school stuff.

The couple watched Mantha go next. She only got up about halfway before her arms decided to detach from her body, causing her to fall all the way back down. Her arms still remained on the rope, clutching it tightly as her body landed harshly on the mattress with one big thud, making her head pop off and roll off the mattress and onto the cold stone floor- and luckily towards the friendly ghost. Casper released Thatch's hand and moved quickly to pick her head up off the floor, brushing her hair away from her face so the zombie could properly see. "Hey there." He said jokingly.

"Ugh… Hi Casper." She mumbled softly, her eyes looking around until they landed on her body. She then glanced up towards the rope and Casper watched as her dismembered hands started to slide down the rope and over to her body that was just sitting up. Casper went ahead and helped Mantha put her head back on, then helped reattach her arms. "Thanks, Casper." She weakly smiled as she got up, dragging her feet as their teacher wrote her a failing grade for the rope climb. She returned back to her spot beside Ra, who tiredly yawned then started to stretch. It would be his turn soon enough.

It wasn't the first time she failed this, and Casper knew it wouldn't be the last. "You made it up pretty far this time." The ghost kindly noted as he floated beside Mantha, who rubbed her sore shoulders. He always wanted to be positive and support his friends, and he meant it. She made it a good bit more than she did last time, so he knew she had been practicing and honestly trying her hardest. That's all that matters!

"I guess I did… Better than last time, right?" Mantha tried to sound hopeful about her progress.

"About twice as far." Thatch interjected himself into the conversation as he watched the two friends. Mantha shot him an odd look, making the vampire get defensive over his claim. "What? You might beat me on the tests but I refuse to let you beat me in gym- so I kept an eye on you. You really do suck in gym."

"Thatch." Casper scolded lightly, hoping to keep some sort of peaceful feeling between them all. "Be kinder."

"I thought I was?" Thatch huffed, his arms crossed over his chest defensively, looking at Mantha carefully. "I said she was better on tests."

"Huh… You did." Mantha said coldly but seemed to accept his words anyway. Thatch still had a bit to go with his half insults and half complements, but it was a step. Mantha sighed and looked as Ra was called up to go next. The mummy dragged his bandage ass up to the ropes and started to ascend up the dumb wiggling rope. Ra did ok, he was rather good at climbing- due to him always climbing his bandages in desperate situations.

Thatch decided to ignore Ra's attempt at climbing and instead turned to face Casper. He had little interest in the mummy, and much rather speak to the ghost at any given time. "At least these dumb tests aren't so bad."

"Really? Last time you said you hated it."

"Well yeah, cause I was forced to fly after Dummy Girl crash landed into me." Thatch grumbled, reflecting back on the last time they had to do this dumb gym exam. "She's wood and it actually hurts, plus she made my arm sore, so my wing hurt the entire time." He shrugged after a moment, trying to brush off the distasteful memory. "As long as no one lands on me, it'll be fine." Thatch said simply. Casper could only smile gently in understanding.

"You'll do just fine. Maybe you'll come out on top today." Casper offered, briefly noting how Ra climbed back down the rope and looked pretty dang proud of himself after reaching the top, actually faster than Thatch had been. "Guess it's my turn." The blue-eyed ghost said as he left Thatch's side, heading over to the rope. In all honesty, he didn't get it. All he ever did was put his hands on the rope and acted like he was climbing when he was actually flying. He's a ghost, he'll never need to climb! It was ridiculous.

So the ghost started to climb like it was required, but for some reason this time he wasn't trying to fly. He was actually putting n the effort and using his arms to pull himself up. He reached the top a bit slowly, but he was happy as he tapped it. He put in the effort and it wasn't as bad as he thought! Casper looked down at the students, smiling- hoping maybe to earn more of Thatch's approval until he saw what was happening below. To him, he saw a circle around Thatch, Mantha by his side. She was trying to help him but the vampire kept hitting her hand away every time she reached towards his cloak. Casper let go of the rope and flew down, quickly landing in front of Thatch and dropping to his knees. He couldn't tell what was wrong, he was utterly puzzled as he looked at the vampire, who looked to be in horrid shape.

When Casper reached forward Thatch did not stop him, despite his eyes being filled with tears- probably rendering the vampire nearly blind. Luckily Casper was probably the easiest student to recognize, being pure white and the only ghost. Casper unclipped the bat clasp and pulled the cloak off of Thatch- he didn't know why but if Mantha wanted it off, then he would be glad to remove it for her. He then tossed it towards Mantha to tend to it. Mantha grabbed the cloak and just carried it away from the vampire, all the way across the room- away from all the other students. Casper noticed she was guarding something else that was laying on the floor, but he couldn't see from this angle nor did he have time to pay mind to it. Thatch was hurting.

Removing the cloak helped the vampire to breathe in fresh air. He was still gasping and acid tears were streaming from his eyes- just from the pain and Casper had no clue what caused it. Thatch's eyes were blinking rapidly as if trying to blink away the pain, and with every breath, he wheezed as if breathing felt like someone had been punching his internal organs.

Casper felt… oddly calm. He knew he should be panicking, but he felt no fear. He rubbed Thatch's back in soothing circles, letting the vampire work the fresh air into his lungs and calm down all on his own. "You're ok Thatch, just breath." He whispered softly. Casper ignored the fact that FrakenGymTeacher was standing nearby, watching with an expression that could only be read as shock. Casper didn't care if he was being kind and that was against the 'rules', Thatch was hurting, and Casper simply didn't know why. He had only been away for a minute at most as he climbed that dumb rope, and now Thatch was in terrible pain. "Come on, you're ok," Casper whispered. Slowly but surely Thatch was able to breathe easier and he was doing better. The vampire shifted, looking so tired now as he just laid down, his head on Casper's lap, his eyes shut tight as he simply took a moment to recollect himself.

"Is he ok?" Wolfie asked worriedly, his ears pressed back and his tail between his legs. "What even happened? I didn't see…" He whimpered nervously. He had no clue who would be dumb, brave, or cruel enough to attack Thatch. Casper didn't know the answer either. Surely someone saw what happened.

Slither lunged towards Mosshead and Dummy Girl, only to be stopped by Ra who was desperately holding the serpent creature back. "It was Mosshead!" Slither hissed. "He used garlic on Thatch!" Slither's voice was loud, and Casper found it rather frightening when Slither was mad, but he had no time to be scared.

"I didn't, it was Dummy Girl!" Mosshead claimed quickly as he moved away from the puppet. "I'm innocent!"

"Me?! Why I oughta pumble you, I wasn't anywhere near that vampire, clearly, it was Monaco!" Dummy Girl screamed in defense, causing the friendly skeleton to start to yell and argue with her. All the students were now fighting, trying to tell their point of view and claiming who they thought did it. Casper looked away from his classmates as a verbal argument broke out, leaving their dimwitted teacher confused as to who was at fault. Casper already knew whoever it was would get away with this terrible act- wait no. That's dumb. They could catch the student. If garlic truly was used, they could easily found out the culprit. Garlic had a terrible odor, and Wolfie was a damn werewolf with a big sniffer.

"Wolfie, smell for garlic!" Casper said quickly, his hand still rested protectively on the tired vampire's back. It was a comfort to feel Thatch breathing easier now, and seemed to be in much less pain.

The werewolf's ears pressed back, but he started to sniff the air. But he didn't get along when their gym teacher called for all their attention.

"Dummy Girl, Slither, Mosshead, Ra, Mantha, Wolfie, Casper, and Thatch must all go to the HeadMasters! We're going to find out who did this properly. The rest of you stay here." The teacher decided in the end.

"This is all your fault." Slither hissed to Dummy Girl.

"Oh shut it." She said firmly. "This is dumb. There's no evidence that I was involved." She said confidently. Thatch was glaring but said nothing to her. Casper only felt dread, gently supporting his vampire. Honestly what a mess- and he had been so hopeful things would get better.

The summoned students all nervously walked into the Headmaster's office. Alder and Dash were sitting at their desk. The smart of the two was actually writing down a report to cover this incident.

"Ok, these are all the people who matter?" The smart one asked the gym teacher, who nodded. Seems they got wind of the events a bit ahead of time- those gargoyles were useful for something after all. "Ok then, what happened?" He asked dully. Dummy Girl was quick to yell about her innocence, while Wolfie growled and yelled about trying to find the source of the smell. He kept saying only Mantha, Thatch and Mosshead smelled like garlic, then Slither was claiming clearly Dummy Girl was the mastermind.

Even Ra got involved begging the Headmasters to keep Slither away from Dummy Girl and Mosshead for their safety. Mantha, Casper, and Thatch stood near the back and watched. Thatch would have laughed if the situation had not been so dire and terrible for him. He was still upset he didn't have his cloak, and seemed to be having some lingering pain.

Mantha was holding garlic, the object she had been defending before while holding Thatch's cloak- which also held the scent of garlic, and because she had such objects she was standing a good bit away from the vampire just for his health.

Dash sighed heavily, using the one hand he controlled to cover his eyes, already tired of all the talking from the students. "Silence!" He yelled loudly. "One at a time!" Alder watched his more bossy brother yell at the students, finding all this more interesting than anything- even if he was terribly confused, as always.

"I'll explain." Ra decided confidently, raising his hand up like a proper student watching attention. Dash rolled his eyes and made a motion for Ra to continue. "We were in class, all doing our normal thing when Casper started to climb the rope. Then Mosshead put garlic in Thatch's cowl-"

"There's no proof!" Mosshead yelled.

"Uh, yes there is, I smell it on your hands," Wolfie growled loudly, his nose wiggling as if to help prove his point against the lying student. "You, Mantha, and Thatch smell like garlic!"

"Yeah Mosshead, shut up." Ra snapped and crossed his arms over his chest. "Anyways Mosshead put garlic into Thatch's cowl, honestly trying to kill him I think-"

"It wouldn't have killed him. Dummy Girl said it would just make him sick and he would be fine as long as he didn't eat it!" Mosshead cried, desperate to get the blame off of himself.

"So now you admit to it," Slither whispered. No one heard him.

"I didn't do anything, it was all Mosshead or Mantha, that zombie hates Thatch, clearly she's playing innocent like she was just trying to help him!" Dummy Girl pointed to Mantha to get the attention off of herself.

"Mantha is innocent, she helped save Thatch!" Ra snapped. "Mantha wouldn't do that, and Mosshead is too dumb to think about garlic, this was all your plan, oh this is dumb." The mummy muttered after a few moments. "Headmasters let me prove Mantha's innocence and show who did this." He pleaded as he went up to their desk, letting his hand rest on the edge of their desk, peering up at them with his begging brown eyes..

Dash sighed heavily and just nodded, already looking tired of all the students bickering. Ra seemed relieved. He looked back at all the other students, and for a moment his gaze rested on Casper, who was right beside Thatch to support the poor vampire. Ra looked at the teachers, looking nervous as his eyes started to glow green. "I'm not good at this, but I'm reading my dad's book on how to do spells. I'll show you my memory of the events." He explained as the young mummy started to cast his uncertain spell.

The room around them was fading, and instead, the gym was coming into view, but they were ghost-like, ha, just like Casper. Everything was a bit faded, so the real students they could still see clearly. The real Casper made sure to keep close to the real Thatch so no one got confused.

They were all seeing what Ra did now. Casper and Thatch had just left each other's side and they could all see Casper heading up to the rope. Ra was making idle conversation with Mantha about how he rather climb his comfortable bandages than the rough rope when they all heard it.

Thatch gagged suddenly and Ra turned around at the sound just to see the vampire raise his hands to cover his mouth and nose as if the foulest smell had just been thrust upon him in some terrible turn of fate, his eyes filling with tears as the smell of the terrible vegetable wafts up, enhanced due to the encasing cowl. Thatch shook his head and stumbled back, away from Ra, Mantha, and Slither. As he stepped back, much to his luck, his foot caught on his cloak and yanked it down- choking the vampire briefly but also causing the vampire to fall flat on his back at the sudden tug- and thankfully for the suffering vampire it let the garlic tumble out of his cowl, Ra saw it tumble just about a foot away from Thatch. The smell remained with Thatch, for it had sunk into the cowl of his cloak, giving no relief to the monster.

The vampire dry heaved, one hand around his stomach while the other was laid on the cold floor as he turned over onto his hands and knees, trying to hide his face from the rest of the class in fear of being judged for this weakness. By now the whole class, besides Casper had all taken note of what had happened. Ra then saw it, Mosshead smirking as he retreated back, going to Dummy Girl so they could watch the vampire together. The two seemed pretty amused as the vampire suffered before them.

Mantha spotted the garlic resting right by Thatch now and gave it a swift kick, sending it all the way across the gym before she kneeled down beside Thatch, putting a hand on his shoulder, only to smell the garlic still on him so she was trying to remove his cloak, which he resisted.

Ra, instead of helping Thatch noticed Slither actually looked enraged and was heading right for Dummy Girl and Mosshead- so he had to get between Slither and the two monsters, trying to talk him down. Ra didn't seem to be doing too good at calming the serpent monster, but he managed to stop the attack just by staying directly in the way and was physically trying to push Slither back to keep him out of a fight. He kept his hands on Slither's shoulders, his eyes desperately looking around for help. A circle had formed around Thatch, and much to Ra's relief Casper floated down and kneeled before Thatch- and not even knowing what was happening Casper managed to remove the cloak and tossed it to Mantha, who took it far away from the vampire.

Ra stopped the memory there, freezing it in time with Mantha guarding the cloak and garlic, Mosshead and Dummy Girl cruelly watching- Slither ready to attack while many of the other students looked on in horror. The real Ra looked at the Headmasters, who was taking in the scene carefully. They didn't seem overly surprised by Ra's newfound power, as if they had been expecting Ra to do something like this for awhile.

"Now uh… Once this spell breaks does someone mind catching me?" The mummy muttered. Slither looked confused but nodded, and when the spell broke Ra collapsed on the spot and Slither barely managed to catch him in time, holding up the unconscious mummy. Slither looked around with desperate eyes for anyone else but him to take over this job, and luckily Wolfie hurried over and instead took the mummy, helping the poor monster so Slither could go back to being gloomy all on his own.

Dash sighed heavily. "Mosshead, 3 days of detention after your classes. You'll spend those whole 3 detentions cleaning the cellar." He ordered, and the gargoyles dragged the swamp monster, forcing him out. "Everyone else is dismissed. Thatch, return to your dorm- uh…" He paused as he glanced at Ra, who was still rather limp and unmoving. "Along with the mummy... Everyone else back to class." They ordered. As they all left one of the gargoyles took Thatch's cloak and garlic from Mantha, freeing the zombie of the harmful items.

Thatch stopped walking, looking back towards his cloak, but after a moment just let it go. It wasn't his father's cloak, it was just one of the spares so he could afford to lose it. Casper gently guided Thatch, helping the vampire out of the office and down the stairs.


	22. Calm After The Storm

Chapter 22: Calm After The Storm

Separating from Thatch was more distressing than the ghost really wanted to admit. He had been so calm before, even when Thatch was in pain- he had been strong for the vampire so Thatch for once would allow himself to be weak. But now that they were separated all Casper could think about was his worry for Thatch, all alone in that coffin as he tried to recover. At least the headmasters seemed to have some sense of mercy, but he wondered why. They seemed to want to catch the attacker and punish them- not like their usual 'we don't give a fuck about the students' selves. But he found it odder that they wrote a report on it. Would it be in their records? What exactly did they write?

But, as long as it helped Thatch why should the blue-eyed ghost care? Mosshead was getting punished, though Casper almost wished the punishment was worse than what was given. Thatch could have really been hurt, or killed by such an event. And now Casper knew people had it out for him and Thatch- or maybe just Thatch. Casper hasn't been hurt, only his clothes ruined that morning. But they really needed to get all the students on their side. Luckily, as they returned back to their classes- all expect Ra, Thatch, and Mosshead, Casper noticed the divide has changed.

Both skeletons were on his side now- he can actually see the divide in the classroom. Mantha, Slither, Wolfie, Quasi, Flyboy, Monaco, and Mickey- well when one looked at it Casper saw a majority of people were on his side now. Maybe people felt bad for Thatch? The only people actually against him was still Dummy Girl, oh and it looked like she was pretending to cry and getting Harpy to be her new lackie, great. And for some reason, Triclops was on their side as well, and that just confused Casper further. They had always helped her, and now she was supporting Dummy Girl; Casper could only reason it off that she still hated Thatch from his bullying.

After all, Thatch always shoved her around- but he did that to everyone, and he was changed now! Casper sighed, and Mantha took notice right away. She patted the ghost's back and offered a smile to try to comfort him. "Hey, we almost got everyone on our side now."

"I'm sad it had to be because Thatch got hurt," Casper muttered as he sat beside the zombie. He was glad people were on his side, no doubt but… Thatch was still all alone in his coffin due to the event- oh and of course so was Ra. He couldn't forget Ra, who had done magic, now that was utterly puzzling.

Ra had never really displayed it before, but Casper remembered when Dummy Girl threatened Slither and him, Ra's eyes for a moment… He thought he was seeing things, but seems not. He'll really have to ask the mummy where he learned magic, it was so cool! Mantha was probably thinking the same thing, she seemed so distracted she didn't even notice when the class started, but then again neither did Casper. A few minutes into their lessons was when they noticed the world around them and actually started to take notes.

Casper knew he wasn't absorbing anything, he was just mindlessly writing down what was on the board without actually learning. How could he focus? He knew the second the lunch bell would ring he'll be out of there and back in the dorm, checking in on the vampire. He shouldn't be left alone after such an event- but he also wanted to keep a close eye on Dummy Girl. He didn't understand, last night Thatch helped her and now she does this? How cruel can one be? With it only being Wednesday he silently wondered if the rest of the week would get any better. He certainly hoped it would.

Mantha leaned over and gently nudged Casper, motioning he had forgotten to take down the last paragraph of notes and their teacher was about to erase the board. The ghost quickly started to scribble down keywords- it was like some sort of extreme sport for a bit; trying to read and get everything as it was being erased. It sucked, and the class didn't get any better.

Just as Casper planned, the second the lunch bell rang he dropped everything and flew out, going through walls in the most direct path to their dorm. He knew he just left all his stuff behind, but he knew in this situation surely Mantha would understand. As he flew through the dorm wall he took a quick look around and smiled. Both Ra and Thatch were out. They were sitting on the floor near Thatch's coffin. The vampire was leaned back against it, still looking pretty rough but better. The two were idly chatting and reading one of Ra's textbook while the vampire shared his blood worms- a favored candy for almost any monster, not just vampires. Casper did make a small note Thatch had the bag mostly pushed towards the mummy, letting him eat most of the candy. Was Thatch not craving his favorite candy?

Ra looked tired, his bandages a bit loose from some rough sleep it looked like, but the mummy was up and seemed to be doing ok. The mummy munched on a bloodworm, watching as Thatch underlined something in the book, making the mummy idly nod in agreement. After a few moments, Ra looked up from the book and smiled at Casper, waving a bit as he finally took notice of his smiling friend. "There you are, we thought you might come visit."

"Casper…" Thatch softly murmured. Casper flew over and placed himself right beside both of them, a big smile on his face. He was so happy to see Thatch, and of course, his chest swelled with joy that it was because of Ra they had caught Mosshead. Maybe Thatch and Ra were starting to see eye to eye now! Casper leaned over and rested his head on Thatch's shoulder, and to that, he was surprised when both of them laughed.

"Casper," Ra chuckled and shook his head. "Honestly…? What happened between you two. Before you left you were so unsure, and now the only thing you two can talk about is each other. Thatch has been asking me dozens of questions-"

"I let you ask questions too. It's a game."

"A game?" Ra rolled his eyes. "Asking questions back and forth isn't… Ok sure, yeah it's a game." He decided to just let it go when he saw Casper's little frown. If it was Casper's game then he'll go along with it, whatever kept things peaceful. He rather not fight with the vampire again, he liked the peaceful feeling between them all.

"What questions did you guys ask?" Casper smiled gently, and couldn't help but to laugh as the vampire wrapped an arm around him, pulling the ghost close to his side. It felt weird not to feel Thatch's normally ever-present cloak, and he wondered why Thatch wasn't wearing his father's. He knew the vampire had switched out for one of his spare fake cloaks, and it made him wonder why the vampire now opted on wearing none. Was he paranoid someone else would throw garlic at him in the same way? Made sense honestly- Casper would be scared too if he had such a great weakness and everyone knew about it. But it was really saddening to see. Thatch was too scared to wear a cloak in fear of being hurt. The vampire now had to take precautions just to protect himself. They shouldn't have to do that.

"Thatch kept asking about my home life." Ra rolled his eyes. "That and the magic, he kept asking about that."

"And what did you ask Thatch?"

"He just kept asking the same questions in different ways- he sucks at the game." Thatch laughed. "Kept asking if I really liked you, if I would take care of you and things like that." Casper felt so protected and cared for. If that was the only thing Ra has been asking it truly showed that Ra was nothing but worried for his friend. Honestly, he had the best friends- oh shit.

The dorm doors opened and Mantha marched in, looking out of breath from running and carrying her school bag along with Caspers stuff. "You left me behind!" She huffed and dropped everything by the door before she dragged her feet over to the group. "Honestly Casper you couldn't just walk with me?"

"I wanted to see Thatch… And uh, look- he and Ra are much better!" He tried to say happily to get the attention off of himself. The zombie rolled her eyes and sat down on the cool stone floor beside Ra's side, taking a moment to catch her breath. "Did you run the whole way here?"

"Yes," Mantha grumbled. "Course I did, you took off so suddenly what choice did I have? Then I come in and you're already cuddling Thatch," she made a motion to the couple. "Casper I think Ra and I have been very calm about this but… What happened over the weekend? Beforehand you two were just sneaking out at night to ask questions, then you come back and you're both kissing and hugging?"

Casper knew he couldn't keep the answers from them long, but it was still embarrassing to think about it all. And much to his surprise Thatch decided to speak up. "Well, Casper followed me to my house, as we all know."

"Your house is in the human world, right?" Ra asked just to double check the facts they did know. Thatch nodded to the mummy.

"Yeah. We got a castle in the human world, and a normal house in the Underworld, though that one we never use." He brushed off that fact easily. "Anyways Casper followed me to my house, and honestly didn't make himself known until that night when he actually managed to scare me."

"He, scared you?" Mantha started to grin, scooching a bit closer to listen more intensely. Thatch huffed softly, his pride still a bit sore from that fact. Casper still found it all amusing. He certainly gave Thatch a good scare, like any ghost, should be able to do.

"Yeah yeah whatever, Casper did manage to scare me. I was on my bed about to rest up when he decided to freaking pop up! Honestly…"

"Sorry." Casper laughed. "It's what ghosts do." Casper chimed in sweetly. Thatch just playfully nudged the ghost before he continued the story. Much to Casper's surprise, the vampire was very truthful with the story, talking about his reclusive, protective mother and how she and Casper didn't get along well at first, especially when the two went into a human town to make shortbread. Mantha found it amusing Thatch couldn't bake, while Ra had no clue what shortbread was so he had to be filled in on that part.

As the story continued Ra and Mantha started to say 'aww' more and more as Thatch admitted to growing closer to Casper, and it made Casper positively red to hear Thatch admit his emotions in front of him, and right to his own friends! A few times Casper had to cover his face in embarrassment. How could Thatch be so open and truthful about all this? Thinking about it all made his heart pound.

Casper did note Thatch glossed over, and just avoided some things completely. The time spent by the pond where Thatch told Casper about his father or their time in the ballroom. Thatch admitted to almost everything else though. Every once in awhile when Casper felt like he could talk without making a fool of himself he'll add in a little detail, and everytime Thatch would stop and just smile, listening to him.

Mantha seemed positively struck and fully supportive of the two- and it was a bit embarrassing the way she would giggle and almost… fangirl over them? She just seemed positively happy the two were so close.

Ra was much calmer, listening to the two and nodded along. As long as Casper was safe and happy he seemed content, and now that Thatch wasn't such a big bully the mummy seemed so much more reserved- if that was the right word. Casper didn't know how to explain it. Maybe mature or something? Ra just seemed to understand and accept Thatch now.

"Where's Slither?" Thatch finally asked after most of the story was told. Mantha and Ra shrugged and the vampire sighed. "Oh, I bet he went and got into some trouble… or is taking a nap by the incinerator." Casper giggled softly and nodded. Yeah, could be. Course if Slither was getting into trouble they should go find him. Casper actually started to get up when the door opened and Slither came in. He looked a bit nervous upon seeing the whole group, but when Thatch waved he went over to them willingly. "Bloodworm?" Thatch offered the bag of candy to Slither.

The serpent just shrugged and took a few pieces before he 'sat' down. Casper was much more careful to watch him, and could only imagine how his snake-like body moved so it looked like he was sitting on the floor. From what he could see Slither had merely wrapped his tail around and was resting on his coils, munching on the candy peacefully. Course the robe made it all look bulky so Casper could only imagine what was happening.

"What took you so long?" Thatch softly laughed, trying to keep the air light despite Slither's normally gloomy mood. Seeming far too used to it. Casper was wondering how Thatch handled all the gloom in his life. From the empty castle with his mourning mother to his best friend being the gloomiest creature in the whole school.

"Wolfie was fighting with Dummy Girl… I ate lunch with him to keep him close… It was terrible." Slither muttered after a moment, looking mildly annoyed for about three seconds before he had that emotionless expression again.. Thatch just nodded in understanding.

"Thank you Slither." Casper softly spoke, reaching over and patting his shoulder. The serpent didn't react to the friendly touch, but he also didn't recoil away.

"I came because lunch period is almost over, but I wanted to check up on you," Slither spoke directly to Thatch. It was only then Casper noticed the clock and how little time they had left. Lunch seemed to have passed by so quick…

"Well, I'm doing fine Slither." Thatch chuckled lightly. "Ra and I were just chatting when Mantha and Casper decided to pop in. Glad you came." He spoke truthfully. Slither looked unsure about Thatch's openly friendly attitude, his eyes instinctually watching the friendly trio distrustingly at first before he had to remind himself it was ok now, it was safe to be friendly with each other in front of them. "If lunch is almost over you guys should head off to class…" Thatch duly noted. Mantha nodded and stood up, going over to the door where she had dropped all of her and Casper's stuff. Mantha was always able to keep a level head and focus on their studies at least.

"I'll be back right after classes," Casper assured the vampire, wishing he could just stay longer. Thatch just smiled and hugged the ghost close, not wishing for the ghost to go- but when Mantha cleared her throat by the door the two slowly let each other go. Casper slowly got up and walked over to Mantha, and Slither peacefully followed. Ra and Thatch waved goodbye as the odd trio left the dorms.

Casper already missed Thatch but felt a great comfort over him. His friends have fully accepted Thatch, and everything was slowly coming together. Maybe at this rate, everything would really be ok. He just had to relax and let things happen- everything would turn out alright. Besides, with Thatch actively getting along with Mantha and Ra Casper knew they could all make a great team, oh Slither too. Casper figured they were a packaged deal, which he didn't mind too much. Slither was easy to guide and help, not fussy at all as well. Maybe the rest of this week will go well after all! So he felt a new wave of optimism as he headed out to his class, smiling brightly as he walked beside Mantha and Slither…

Casper was overjoyed when he managed to survive all his long, boring classes. Now that he was free for the rest of his Wednesday he was just eager to get back to the dorm. This time he took his time heading back with Mantha and Slither, knowing the zombie would not appreciate being left behind again.. Not much talking was done, Slither's ever gloomy mood made sure of that. As they reached the doors Mantha parted ways to head back into her own dorm for the night, very tired from the days… excitements.

Casper sighed softly and entered the dorm, a gentle smile on his lips when he saw Ra openly snoozing on top of his sarcophagus instead of inside it. He had some book in hand, he was probably studying when he fell asleep. The mummy was softly snoring, almost hugging his sarcophagus in his sleep, it was rather cute. Thatch was beside his coffin in his own corner of the dorm. Thatch had moved it, probably because he was distrusting most of the students now. It was far away from the door now, against the back wall. He also moved Slither's and Casper's bunk to the back wall, near him. Ra probably would have to move his 'bed' so they could all keep close. But for now, Casper would let Ra sleep. The mummy still confused him, after that big display.

The lid to Thatch's coffin was open and the vampire was currently tending to his laundry, gathering all the dirtied clothes into a nice big cloth bag. Casper could tell that was probably just a week's worth of clothes- but then he noticed every single shirt looked the same. So did the pants. Casper had no clue why Thatch wore the same exact look daily- but if that's what suited the vampire then whatever. He wouldn't judge. It just made the vampire easier to spot in the crowd.

But seeing Thatch gather his dirty clothes reminded Casper of his own issue, his ruined clothes- soaked in soda. Maybe Thatch knew how to fix this? So, the ghost, made his way over to the vampire, watching him for a few more moments. The ghost then gently nudged the vampire to get his attention. "Thatch? How do you get your clothes clean?" He carefully asked the vampire.

Thatch paused, looking at the ghost carefully as if it was the clearest thing in the world. "Are… you joking?" He chuckled softly, shaking his head as he pulled the string to close the cloth bag. "The laundry room, of course, where else?"

"We have a laundry room?"

"...Mercy me." Thatch sighed heavily. "Ghosts… honestly." He rolled his eyes but ruffled up Casper's hair affectionately anyways. "Go grab your clothes, I'll show you. I bet Slither has to wash his robes as well," he said as he looked over at the serpent-like monster, who shrugged and went to his bed to grab his spare robes that had gotten dirty throughout the week. Now Casper was really confused.

"Wait, you both just wear the same look every day despite having multiple clothes?"

"Well duh, Mantha does too, hell almost every student does." Thatch calmly stated. "Why do you think we never try a new look? It's in the school rules, one of the ones Alder made without Dash noticing; He wants every student to look the same every day or he gets confused… He's just that dumb."

"That is really dumb." Casper giggled softly. He had no idea how those two managed to run a school- but who was he to judge? He was only a kid. Casper accepted the answer and went to grab his bag, sighing as he saw drops of soda leaking out of the bottom. What a mess. Also, he didn't care if Alder got confused. Casper would wear whatever Thatch got him! He was feeling a bit rebellious; was that because he was hanging out with Thatch too much? Thatch was probably a bad influence honestly. Casper lifted up the wet bag and followed Thatch and Slither out.

Turns out the laundry room was just a few doors down, go figure. Honestly, he should explore this castle more, he didn't even know the other students washed their clothes; which was apparently common knowledge.

Casper was not impressed when he saw the laundry room. He half expected a washing machine like at Jimmy's, but here it was large metal tubs with a scrubbing board of sorts rested against the side of it, along with a bar of soap for every tub. Thatch simply went over to one of the metal containers and dumped all his clothes into the large tub of water. He then sat down on the stool and rolled up his sleeves before he simply got to work, not even batting an eye. Thatch didn't mind doing this work if it meant he stayed clean. Like his mother, he didn't care for the monster's need to be dirty all the time. He was civilized and clean- and he refused to wear the same clothes two days in a row. The only exception might be his cloaks. And because Slither was his friend he made sure the serpent monster did the same.

Slither went to the tub far away from Thatch, back into a corner closest to one of the windows so he could enjoy the last few minutes of the day in the light, it was warmer when he was in the sun and he wanted to enjoy it while he could. Slither seemed annoyed when he felt the water though, quickly shaking his 'hand' dry. "Cold." He actually whined. But nothing could be done so Slither just tried to work carefully, lest he gets too cold.

Casper watched uncertainly for a few moments, then sat as close to Thatch as he could, even moving the tub a few inches closer just so he could see what Thatch was doing better. Casper had far fewer clothes than Slither and Thatch, but he had no clue what to do. Utterly hopeless he was. The ghost nervously grabbed his favored bat shirt and watched Thatch, then started to rub the soda stained shirt against the scrub board. The water seemed to be getting some of the soda off, but not much else was really happening.

Thatch glanced over and laughed softly. "Are you kidding me, Casper?" He teased lightly. The vampire let his clothes drop back into the water and he moved over to the ghost, kneeling behind him as he reached around, placing his hands on the ghosts. Casper felt his face heat up, but he said nothing as Thatch started to show him how to actually use the soap provided to clean his shirt, helping Casper rub out the soda. "We'll get you some new clothes since you only got two outfits. I doubt you want to be doing this every other day." The vampire noted. "I also suggest not keeping your clothes in that bag. You can request a side table for your bed. Mantha has one for her clothes." Thatch noted calmly. It would probably be safer if his clothes were stored in the side table. Normally they had a locked drawer the students could use if they so wished.

"How do you know that?"

"Dummy Girl of course. She loves to gossip and complain about Mantha. Honestly, I'm glad I'm not a girl. I can only stand Dummy Girl for so long, I don't think I can survive sleeping in the same dorm as her." He laughed softly, resting his head on the ghost's shoulder, his eyes on the clothes as he contently worked with Casper. Casper knew Thatch was doing most of the work, so he just enjoyed the closeness and made sure to watch so he could do this on his own.

Slither seemed like an awkward ducky sitting in the corner as he watched the two lovebirds. "Please don't kiss." He begged from his corner, making the vampire laugh softly. Slither wasn't a huge fan of public affection, let alone any affection as far as Casper could tell. The light was dimming and Slither seemed annoyed, but he decided to stay until every last ray of light had gone.

The vampire released the ghost for Slither's sake, though he did wave the monster off like his request was a pain to do. "Oh, I wouldn't submit you to such torture, you hatchling." He teased as he returned back to his own clothes now that Casper knew what to do. The vampire sat back down on his stool and calmly started to work a stain out of one of his white shirts. Last week he had managed to spill some of his dinner on his shirt because Dummy Girl bumped into him. He didn't mind at the time, but now the stain seemed really stubborn.

Slither huffed, sticking out his forked tongue at Thatch before he quickly hid it once more. Course he did this behind Thatch's back, but Casper saw. Slither was acting like a child, it was cute to see the two monsters relax and be themselves now. It honestly felt like a privilege to see them like this. The ghost puffed out his chest, grinning proudly as he worked. He bet Dummy Girl never got to see this side of the boys. Ha.

"So, hatchling?" Casper commented softly. He knew Dr. Burns said they were from eggs, so that would make sense. He just never thought the word could be an insult.

"It bugs him more than just being called childish. A bit more personal." Thatch chuckled softly, looking pretty pleased with himself. "Found that out only a few days into school. I know almost everything that makes him tick. Oh, and of course I know things he likes. His favorite type of meat is chicken." He shrugged. "Course they never seem to serve it up here- only that gross mush they call food." The vampire spoke softly, then silence fell upon the room. No one really wanted to talk too much- they had to get their clothes clean and Casper had to concentrate on every inch of his clothes to work out the sticky soda. He really wanted to find out who did it.

Thatch seemed to grow tired of the silence after only a few minutes. "I keep telling him he needs to come to my place for the summer again. Mum is finally starting to warm up to the idea of me having friends over." The vampire simply continued their conversation.

"That sounds fun." Casper chimed happily. He looked back at Slither, who avoided his gaze and kept scrubbing his robes ever so silently, his movements were a bit slow and Casper assumed it was because Slither wasn't as fond of the idea as Thatch was.

"Slither is scared of mum, he met her once." Thatch continued, already knowing Slither did not approve of such plans. It seemed to bug the vampire on a personal level due to how there was a slight edge on Thatch's voice. "Took him home last holiday and uh… they didn't click too well. She hates snakes, a fear of hers."

"Your mom fears snakes? I don't get it, aren't vampires supposed to fear nothing?"

"Aren't you a ghost? Why do you still flinch when someone tries to punch you- it's natural Casper." Thatch answered swiftly without even missing a beat. Casper rolled his eyes. He should have known better than to willingly go on the topic of Thatch's mom. He was a bit protective, and while it was cute his curt answers were a tad annoying. He was always so defensive about his mother, but Casper tried to understand. He was defensive of his own family as well. It was only natural.

The two worked in silence a bit longer, until they heard a loud splash behind them. When they turned around they saw Slither face first in the tub, asleep, or maybe just too cold to move again. The day had gone and the corner had gone completely dark and cold, and the cold water didn't help at all. And since Slither was Slither, he had said nothing and just tried to work.

"Oh for star's sake!" Thatch groaned and got up, going over to the serpent and pulling his dumb snake booty out of the tub. Thatch then just sat down on the stone floor, letting the sleeping monster lay across his lap as he removed Slither's now soaked robes, just tossing them onto the side of the tub so they could dry. Now that the cold soaked clothes were off Slither coiled up more, still ever so peacefully asleep. Thatch doubted they could sneak Slither down to the incinerator so body heat would have to do.

"Does… Slither do that a lot?" Casper raised a brow. That was the second time today the monster has been like this. While it was rather amusing, it also made Casper concerned for the monster's health. Surely this wasn't a healthy thing.

"Honestly, no," Thatch mumbled. "He's normally much more careful. I guess he's just stressed about Mosshead and Dummy Girl. He tends to get distracted by his own thoughts a lot of the time." The vampire sighed heavily, using his sleeve to dry Slither's face. Casper weakly smiled and pulled out his cleaned shirts, letting them hang on the side of the tub once he wrung the water out of them.

"Well, I'm sure all will be ok soon," Casper said, positive as ever. "Today is just a rough day- it's just Wednesday. Everyone hates Wednesday. I'm sure everything will go easier as the week goes on. After you went to the dorm almost everyone was on our side."

"Really?"

"I guess they realized how dumb it was to be mad, especially after you got hurt so badly," Casper spoke softer. "You're really ok, right?"

"Yes, I'm fine," the vampire gently comforted. He would hug Casper- but he currently had a Slither on his lap so he was stuck for now. "I just needed a small rest after that. Honestly, it's silly they gave me the whole day off."

"I still think you should be resting." Casper countered. "You can't be pushing yourself. What if you get sick?" Honestly, the thought of Thatch getting sick was a major worry, and not just because the school nurse was a sadistic creature with a streak of hurting Thatch and his poor fangs.

"Vampires don't get sick." Thatch lied proudly. "We're strong monsters of the night!" He puffed out his chest with pride, grinning at the ghost who just rolled his eyes and walked over to the pair once all his clothes were drying. Casper gently smiled and looked down at Thatch and Slither.

"Thatch, you're a lot like Ra." Casper hummed, making the vampire bristle with defense. "No, it's a good thing. Ra is protective of me, and you're protective over Slither." Casper hummed, kissing the vampire's cheek. "I like it." The vampire had mixed emotions being compared to Ra, but he liked kisses so he dealt with it. Casper sat beside Thatch, smiling and content to just spend some time together with him.

"We'll leave our clothes overnight to dry, and um…" Thatch shrugged, calmed and peaceful from Casper's own calmness. Maybe Casper was rubbing off on Thatch more than the other way around. "They're normally dried by the morning. Want to help me carry Slither back?"

"Won't he want a robe?"

"He's got a few spare ones in his nightstand. We'll just put one of those on him." Thatch easily decided. Casper nodded and helped Thatch lift Slither up. Thatch took Slither's head, his arms hooked under the serpent monster. Casper was unsure where to grab on the tail, so he just grabbed what could be considered the middle of the tail and put the rest over his shoulder- and much to his displeasure the tail twisted and coiled down Casper's body.

"Um… Thatch?"

"He does that. We'll free you once he's in bed. Just hope he doesn't squeeze."

"Squeeze?"

"Well, I guess since he's our age he can't kill us at least. But it'll feel like a really tight hug- good thing you don't need to breath." Thatch hummed in thought. This did not ease Casper's mind in the slightest.

"Has he done this to you?"

"When he gets sick or cold, yeah. Last winter at my place was… a thing. He's a big cuddler." Thatch answered simply as he started to lead the way out, having to walk backward so they had to move carefully. Casper honestly couldn't figure Slither as a cuddler, but he supposed in the dead of winter he could imagine the cold-blooded monster getting really touchy. Casper wasn't jealous, more intrigued by their relationship.

Thatch walked backward, constantly looking over his shoulder so he didn't walk into anything. Casper was just happy Slither wasn't squeezing like Thatch said, but then it occurred to him it was probably because his ghostly body held no heat- he wasn't warm in the slightest bit so Slither had no reason to cling to the ghost. If anything the monster would wrap around Thatch. It made Casper rather happy he was a ghost now.

Thatch grumbled, having to use the back of his heel to kick the dorm doors inwards so they could go in. Almost everyone was in the dorms, reading or generally talking before bed. They got a few odd looks- after all Slither was kinda passed out and without his classic robe. Thatch didn't bother to answer, instead guiding Casper over to the bed. Thatch laid his half down on the bed first, then went over to Casper and helped the ghost uncoil Slither's tail from around him. They then got Slither dressed and Thatch put the blanket over the monster, sighing happily once Slither accepted the blanket and nuzzled into bed like a snake trying to burrow.

Casper and Thatch seemed pleased with their work, and for now, the duo headed over to Casper's bed and to sit down, wanting to hang out more before they had to go to bed. Casper flopped onto the mattress, rolling his eyes at it creaked loudly. Honestly, everything in this school was outdated.

"Do you know who we're going to study tomorrow? I forgot what Dr. Burns said." Casper asked innocently.

"Zombies, Mantha." Thatch answered in a heartbeat. At the weird look, he weakly smiled. "I had Mosshead steal Dr. Burns schedule last week so I can take a look. I memorized it as well, I put it back don't look at me like that." Thatch held his hands up innocently at Casper's accusing look. "I was just curious I swear."

"You can't be taking stuff that's not yours."

"I didn't, Mosshead did." Thatch grinned widely. "Then he put it back after I saw. No harm no foul." He tried to defend, but Casper's unapproving gaze made the vampire feel guilty. "Ok ok, sorry… I won't do it again?" He weakly offered, and at the ghost's smile, he giggled. It was almost like Casper was slowly training Thatch to be good just to keep the ghost-boy happy.

"That'll make me happy… now we should sleep, and I mean it." He whispered firmly. "No staying up. You need to rest after today."

"But I said I'm fine-... ok." Thatch backed down at the ghost's frown. The vampire huffed and got up, heading over to his coffin willingly. He would get some sleep tonight, just to please the ghost-boy if he really was that worried. In a way, it was nice someone was worried about the vampire's health.

Casper smiled as he watched Thatch get into his coffin before he settled down in his own bed. He had no reason to stay up and wait for the others go to sleep. He was exhausted after the day, and he also looked forward to some proper sleep...


	23. Let's Be Friends Slither

Chapter 23: Let's Be Friends Slither

Casper wasn't woken up by his normal alarm, but instead by Slither who had gently nudged the ghost. Casper lifted his head, seeing he now had a nightside table- which Slither had most likely just carried in, The gray monster was also laying all of Casper's clean clothes on top of it. Casper didn't even get to sit up fully by the time Slither was turning away to leave. The monster had only wanted Casper to know where his clothes were, in case he somehow missed them when the ghost woke up. "W-wait, Slither." Casper hurriedly said, nearly stumbling out of bed in his rush, his blanket wrapped around his legs. He managed to stand, and he tried to ignore the fact his legs were tangled in the thin blanket. He wanted to have a nice level, calm conversation with the other. He knew things had been rough, and in all honesty, even if Thatch approved of Slither so easily that didn't make them all happy friends. Slither had been their enemy, and unlike Thatch, Casper hadn't had time to build trust with the other. He barely knew anything about Slither. What were his motives? His goals?

Casper wished they could all be happy friends because maybe then Ra and Thatch would stop sizing each other up every second they were awake. Honestly couldn't they see they had so much in common? They both slept in objects meant for the dead, they're both creatures of the dead (Vampires counted, even if Thatch was a living vampire). But because the world wasn't such a friendly place like Casper wanted, he had to take things slow and make friends the proper way. Building trust like he had oh so carefully did with the grumpy vampire. Yesterday was a good start, but he knew almost every day would be an uphill battle until who knows when.

Slither obediently stopped when called and looked back to the ghost, his head tilted to one side like a confused dog, waiting for the next order to be given. Casper could tell Slither only stopped to listen out of some level of respect for the ghost and nothing more. That had to change quickly. Slither wasn't used to taking orders from anyone other than Thatch, but for the vampire's sake, he was willing to listen to Casper; for now. The gray monster reached out after a moment of observing the ghost, stretching his arms across the distance and helping free Casper from the blanket- then he simply made Casper's bed from where he stood before he drew his extendable arms back.

Honestly, Casper still found the whole stretching thing kinda creepy. Where were Slither's joints? His bones? When did they start and stop? Surely he had a skull and jaw, and maybe ribs. But where was his arm bones?! There was much Dr. Burns missed, but when didn't the teacher miss something? Their whole course was a joke, especially when it was over fleshies.

Casper decided it was best to just not mention or ask about it.

"Um, thank you…" The ghost carefully started, smiling at the monster. At least Slither saved him some embarrassment, even if the ghost could have just fazed through the blanket. He kept forgetting that he was a ghost. Maybe it always slipped his mind because he was the only ghost in the school and because no one else did it Casper often forgot that he had the ability. It was a lonely feeling, almost. If he didn't have such great friends it probably would have bothered him more. But such thoughts should be saved for later. He needed to focus on the has been bully in front of him.

Slither was clearly dear to Thatch, so Casper felt the great need to befriend him, get Slither's approval and trust just as Thatch was trying to do with Ra- who was honestly being just terribly stubborn about everything. But Ra was a different story, but for now, according to the clock they had about 10 minutes before everyone's alarms went off. "Why are you up so early?"

"Too much sleep…" Slither answered dutifully. "Plus, laundry. I always fetch Thatch's clothes." He added on with little thought. So Slither did basic tasks for the vampire often? "Your's were dry too, so I figured…" He didn't finish that thought. He just stared off, not all too comfortable speaking with the ghost- and Casper simply had to remedy that as soon as he could.

"So uh, Slither…" The ghost started off terribly. He really had no clue how to connect to the monster. They had nothing in common besides Thatch. Plus the overly silent room was not helping his nerves at all. "You're really… uh."

"Gloomy? Quiet? Cold?" Slither started to list off things, not so kind things people often said about him. He didn't seem too phased by the thought of it all though. It was like he treated them as simple facts he would have to live with. Honestly, Casper had no clue what went on in Slither's mind. The only thing he could really figure out was Slither was terribly loyal to Thatch, utterly blunt and very, very introverted. But maybe he could at least try to use Slither's loyalty to Thatch to his advantage,

"No, none of that… I was going to say... brave." Casper made up quickly, and at the puzzled look he got from Slither Casper put on his biggest smile. "You're brave Slither."

"I don't get it. I'm not."

"Well uh, I mean…" Casper rubbed the back of his neck, his gaze drifting off, and naturally, it went towards Thatch's coffin. "Y-you're brave because you protect Thatch so much. You ignore school rules for him, attacking me and Ra when you felt we were getting too close." He muttered, still not too happy about the fights. "And following Thatch and me outside past curfew just to warn him of the consequences. You're really brave when it comes to Thatch. All your friends must love you for being so brave and caring."

"... No friends, only Thatch." Slither said ever so bluntly. Damn, Slither knew just how to burst a bubble. Honestly, his monster power should be the power of bringing gloom upon every conversation. Casper tried to keep up spirited anyways. He needed to make this work somehow. Besides, a little bit of gloom won't stop his positive attitude!

"Well, you're friends with Thatch." He commented gently. "And now with us."

"Thatch isn't a friend." He started, and a look of utter puzzlement crossed Casper's face. After a moment of silence due to Casper's pure confusion, Slither continued carefully. "He's my family," he said, then nodded as if assuring himself that what he said was right. He watched Casper carefully, then after a few tense moments, he willingly moved closer to the ghost, keeping his arms crossed over his chest. Normally such a gesture would be seen as snotty or rude, but in Slither's case it was just how he carried himself, and Casper just took it as Slither being Slither. Slither wanted to get closer so they could talk in a more… friendly level, open up more to each other even. Slither was more than willing to talk about Thatch, and Casper would take full advantage of that if it meant getting closer to the monster. Plus, who didn't like to talk about Thatch? Well, besides… everyone in the school. Okay so the ghost had a little issue, but it was only because no one saw how amazing the vampire could be!

"I believe the right word for his status is brother…?" Slither questioned softly, not really sure he would get an answer, but of course, Casper being Casper, always did his best to help.

"Brother, that sounds a lot like you two." He gently confirmed and smiled. "Brothers help each other out, with chores or just homework sometimes. They defend each other too, even if they get into fights. Does that sound right?"

Slither nodded, looking over at the coffin calmly. "Yes… So Thatch is my brother. Casper, do you have a brother?" He asked kindly in return. The monster was slowly speaking more to the ghost. A good first step.

Casper shook his head no. "No, no brothers, unless I can count Ra as one." He said happily. as he glanced over to the sarcophagus where Ra was probably fast asleep. "I got three uncles though."

"...What are uncles?" Slither timidly asked.

"Oh uh… My parent's siblings." He explained simply. Best to keep things nice and short. "What about you? Don't you got-" Oh right. Slither doesn't have a real family. Casper kept forgetting not everyone had a family, even a single relative. Casper quickly felt crushed when he saw Slither's gaze drop down, his light gray hair covering his eyes as if it was a shield to hide him away from the world. Casper remembered Mantha said the eyes were gateways to the soul one time. "Well, uh… Slither I been meaning to ask, if this isn't rude… what was it like? Growing up alone and all…" He wanted to keep Slither talking honestly and was desperate for any conversation. "Being alone must have been hard, maybe that's why you're so brave, right?" He tried to continue his compliment, and that seemed to bring Slither back to him.

The snake-like creature nervously coiled his arms/hands together, glancing around them, wanting to focus on anything but the ghost in front of him. "Growing up alone… It wasn't a pleasant thing, but… I'm lucky. My egg was dumped in the Underworld forest, where normal predators can't get to me. I remembered when I hatched…"

"You can remember that far back?"

"Yes… I just don't remember much inside the egg, besides the fact it was dark…"

The small creature shifted in his confined home, his tail stretching out as much as it could before he allowed it to just wrap around his body, and his arms hugged his tail close. He was getting colder, and he was feeling a pain in his stomach. He knew what it was, but he also knew very little about how to fix it, and every once in awhile his stomach would growl at him as if angry at his incompetence to fix it. He knew the basics. He was hungry and he needed food. The only place to get that would be outside the egg, he knew that as well. But he didn't know what was outside the egg, nor what was food and what wasn't.

He hated anything he didn't know.

He knew he was a monster to be hunted and killed by two-legged creatures. He knew that when he was fully grown he could probably eat them and live happily, but he knew he was small, the rattle on his tail couldn't even make a sound, it was too soft to do so.

He knew a lot of things, as a monster of his kind should. He was abandoned, left for dead if he was weak. If he was strong he could survive and try to live a somewhat decent life with every day being a battle for survival. Whether he survived was up to himself or not, so if he wanted the hungry pains to stop he'll have to leave the comforts of the only home he knows, and learn something new. He hated it. But he loved the dark confined space of his egg. It gave him comfort because he knew he belonged here. His egg.

But, as much as he loved his egg, he was hurting and knew he had to break it. So, he did. Carefully, the monster started to push at the shell, struggling against it. To his surprise, it was easy to break, and he made a jagged hole near the top. He squirmed inside the egg, shielding his eyes as light shine through the hole. He naturally hissed, taking several long minutes to adjust to the fact he could see things. The smooth inside of the egg, how he was pale and his arms had stripes. They were pretty to him, he liked the purple color. He decided that would be his favored color from now on. Maybe he could find things the same shade and collect them!

The monster sat up in the egg and stared out into the empty forest. He was on the ground, a single branch over his egg to hide him. He knew at one point it was most likely covered in leaves, but they were all gone now. The grass was tall, uncut- only kept down by the lack of light due to the towering trees that dwarfed everything in the forest.

He sat there for who knows how long, just peering out through his hole into the forest. He hated it. It was new and scary. But, his hunger urged him to go. He needed to search for food, even if he didn't exactly know what food looked like.

He carefully moved one arm, snaking it out of the jagged hole and feeling the cool shell of the egg outside. He wanted to carefully break the egg so he could always retreat back to his home. He didn't want it to end up in dozens of useless pieces. Where would he go then? As long as he had at least something he could climb into it, it could be called his home.

Using his arm he carefully broke the top portion of the egg off. He hissed as light shined on him, and he fled his egg, ducking behind it in the shadows. He was avoiding the light but now had to face something completely new. Dirt. It felt awful, it was muddy, sticky and cool. He hissed, shaking his arms clean of the awful substance, and he wiggled his tail to try to make the rattling sound it should make, but it was silent. Utterly useless.

This was not a good time. He pushed himself back up because he rather deal with the sun then the mud. He wrapped one arm around the egg, the other resting on the top lip of the egg to help lift himself up as he peered over it, a deep frown pressed to his lips. He naturally wrapped his thin, utterly useless tail around the egg, still trying to rattle his tail as if to fend off anything that might hurt him. He didn't know what to say, so he just thought to himself 'I regret leaving my egg. I hate everything I've done. Please have mercy on me world. I'm only a hatchling.'

Then, with his stomach growling in pain he had to move on. In this case that meant go about 3 feet away then run back every time he got spooked, which happened with every new thing he encountered. A tree root, ant, pinecone, worm, flower, spider, ladybug, butterfly, an evil, utterly evil black bird with three eyes that squawked at him.

He utterly hated it. He clung to his egg stubbornly, gazing out into the forest angrily.

This. Sucked.

Casper was… interested in the story, to say the least, but from how Slither described it, the monster wasn't brave or scary. Course, how could a baby creature be scary in the slightest when the monster itself was scared and confused. Slither didn't look proud of the story, but Casper wanted the monster to be!

"You've done so much… survive on your own, learn things all by yourself, met Thatch." Casper offered and reached over, patting the monster's shoulder. "Should we wake Thatch up before the alarms do?" He offered at Slither's uneasy look.

"Too late." Slither motioned over, to the vampire who barely had the lid lifted off his coffin, his violet eyes carefully peering out at him. "Thatch is a very light sleeper… Thatch, were you listening?" Slither gingerly asked.

"Yes."

"For how long?" Casper nervously smiled. He almost forgot just how light Thatch actually slept. Honestly, sometimes Casper wished Thatch slept as heavy as Ra did. But, Casper also did note when he slept with Thatch the vampire actually managed to sleep a bit heavier than he normally did. Maybe Thatch just needed someone to cuddle to get some actual proper sleep?

"Slither shut the door on his tail. When he hissed I woke up." The vampire muttered and pushed the lid of his coffin. So Thatch didn't wake up to their whispers, but to an actual loud sound. Maybe the vampire was really sleeping heavier as of late. Casper briefly wondered about the change in Thatch's sleeping pattern. What had caused it?

"Slither, you see me as a brother?" The vampire questioned lightly. Now it was normal for Slither to hide behind Thatch in times of distress… In this case, Slither moved behind Casper to get away from the vampire, just to try to avoid answering. The gray monster stared stubbornly at the ground, his lips sealed tight.

That seemed to answer enough for the vampire because he just smiled and looked to Casper. "You're good at getting him to talk. Even if I was listening I have no clue how you managed that. Guess you can make friends with anyone, marshmallow." He spoke fondly as he walked over to the pair. Slither glanced off, avoiding looking at them as Thatch hugged his dear ghost, giving him a quick kiss on his cheek then looked at Slither. Casper was happy to see his Bat-Boy start off the day so nicely after the disaster that was yesterday.

If it made Thatch smile he'll make sure to get along with Slither to the best of his ability. He met Thatch's mom, and now his 'adoptive' brother… he wanted Thatch to meet his family as well. Maybe the next time they were in Deedstown he would convince Thatch to go talk to his uncles. Course he had a feeling his uncles-the ghostly trio wouldn't make things so easy for the vampire.

But time was up now and no more talking could be done in this situation. Everyone's alarms were going off and they would have to start another day. Casper smiled, just knowing surely this day would be better than the one before! Nothing could go wrong as long as he had Thatch, and now Slither by his side. He'll work on building his relationship with both of them, then make sure Ra and Mantha grew close to them. He wanted them all to be friends! So, the ghost grabbed his bat shirt, the jeans and put on his jacket along with his socks and shoes of course. He then put the other clean clothes into one of the nightstand drawers to keep them safe and out of sight.

He didn't want to admit it, but he likes wearing clothes. He would simply have to get more, maybe Thatch could take him shopping again. "Let's go wake up Ra." Casper hummed and hurried over to Ra's sarcophagus. Slither stayed behind Thatch, nervously following like a little ducky. Casper knocked on the lid and smiled when Ra barely pushed it open, peering out grumpily.

"Noooooo…" He whined and dropped the lid back down. Casper huffed softly, looking back at Thatch who only shrugged. The vampire had no intention to help- oh shit wait, Casper was giving him that pouty look. He had to help now.

Thatch marched his ass over, huffing and hanging his head under Casper's pouting gaze. He grabbed the lip of the lid and yanked it up. "Out bandage boy!" He greeted not so kindly. Casper sighed heavily. Well, at least the lid was up. Thatch held the lid open while Casper smiled down at Ra, leaning against the side of the sarcophagus. Ra mumbled and was laying on the hard stone bottom, his back to them. Unlike Thatch's coffin, Ra's resting place was not comfortable in the least. Stone, cold with no real comforts. At the foot of it, Ra kept things he needed, notebooks, pens, his jar of guts… So gross. He still needed to ask about that but this wasn't the time.

"Ra come on. Time to get up." He said happily. Casper reached down, grabbing the mummy's hand and gently pulling. Ra groaned and used his other arm to cover his eyes.

"I think I rather skip class."

"Don't make me get Mantha." Casper gently threatened. Mantha would most likely drag Ra out against his will.

"...So evil." Ra whined and slowly climbed out, flinching when Thatch carelessly dropped the lid which made a loud banging sound. "Cool it, you'll crack the stone!"

"You'll crack the stone," Thatch mocked, then shushed at Casper's glare. "Uh well, yeah whatever. I'll put it down 'gently' next time." He muttered softly. They had been civil with each other the day before, but that was also because they were both tired and a bit sick. Now it was the next day, and their old habits were resurfacing. The general distaste for each other. The change would be slow, but a change was change, and Casper was good at making things happen. After all, he could control Thatch a bit now, like a pet bat!

"Let's go…" Slither mumbled gloomily.

"Oh great… Morning Slither." Ra groaned, trying not to roll his eyes at the sight of the serpent. Ra was not looking forward to another gloom filled day beside Slither. But, for Casper's sake, he'll put up with it. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad. Casper's positively seemed to be helping their mood at least. The ghost happily started to lead the boys towards the door, grinning widely.


	24. You Plan And You Fail

Chapter 24: You Plan And You Fail

Mantha was already in the hall waiting for them. She was even pacing around so Casper could see something major was on her mind. But, she was refusing to speak. She only guided them to the cafeteria quickly, and Casper didn't question it. Yes, he was concerned, but he knew Mantha would tell them once they all sat down. So they grabbed their trays from the lunch … thing. Casper still had no clue what to classify it as. A big purple monster. That's all he could figure of it.

Casper was happy to see they even sat in the same order as the day before. Ra, Mantha, and Slither on one side while he and Thatch got the other. The way they positioned themselves was so Casper and Thatch had their backs to the wall while the others had their backs to the rest of the room, as to shield them and so no one could sneak up on the couple.

Once again Thatch wasn't eating, and it was of concern to Casper. Thatch didn't even look at his food. He had just set his tray down and actually scootched it more towards Slither. It was of great concern, but then Casper tried to brush it off to Thatch being a vampire. The monster of the night had claimed food wasn't as nutritious as blood, and Thatch did have animal blood over the weekend. Maybe he simply didn't need to eat. Casper couldn't linger on Thatch for long before Mantha was itching to talk now that they were all sitting and the room was filled with the talking of other students. With such noise, people couldn't hear what they were saying.

"Guys, we need to watch Thatch today," She warned lightly. Everyone was listening more, confused at her words of warning. "I heard Dummy Girl whispering to Harpy and Triclops last night. I couldn't hear the details- I should have thrown my ear- but they're planning something. Dummy Girl is planning something to hurt Thatch again, I'm sure of it. They were plotting to hurt him in Dr. Burns class."

"Well, that's right after this," Ra muttered softly, looking at the vampire. The mummy was already fiddling with his necklace, turning it over between his fingers, something he always did when nervous. Thatch sunk back in his seat. He looked upset, but at the same time somewhat understanding as to why he was the target. Everyone hated him...

"So they're wanting more revenge on me? Fine. Let them try." He hissed softly, but his voice sounded so weak compared to any other time. He probably hadn't fully recovered from yesterday.

"Thatch no, you got so sick yesterday," Casper spoke comfortingly, leaning against the vampire's side to capture his complete attention, and it worked. The vampire smiled gently and wrapped an arm around his ghost boyfriend, nuzzling close to the other. Casper tried not to smirk. He was learning exactly what Thatch needed and how to fulfill his need for acceptance and love. It was so cute. "We'll look out for you Thatch, right guys?" Casper directed the question to everyone at the table.

"I'll be up front today." Mantha reminded. "So I'll be facing the class. No way I won't see them going for Thatch. Maybe you shouldn't wear your cloak though," she offered lightly. Thatch defensively raised his hand, clutching the bat clasp around his neck and his eyes narrowed. "Hey hey calm down, just a suggestion. That's how they got you last time."

"I know," he muttered after a few tense moments. Casper could understand why Thatch was on edge and defensive. He had a huge target on his back. Thatch clicked the clasp open, letting his cloak fall from his shoulders. He caught it before it touched the ground and he neatly placed it in his lap while he removed the clasp itself, slipping it into his pants pocket for safe keeping. "If you think it'll help then… okay." He agreed with the zombie. Certainly something new, what a great change!

"Ok so Mantha is our eyes, but we got to take extra steps," Ra muttered. "Thatch sit by me today. I sit middle front."

"What? That's dumb…" Slither hissed. "You're putting him in the middle?"

"Exactly. Everyone can see him." Ra grinned. "And Casper said pretty much everyone is on our side. If anyone tries to do anything to Thatch again we'll all see this time." Ra explained. Slither settled back again, mulling over the plan carefully before he simply nodded. "Ok, good. Slither you will sit with Casper this class."

"I want to be close to Thatch." The snake muttered.

"Ok, sure whatever. Casper mind taking the corner?" Ra asked. The ghost just shrugged. He wanted to be close to Thatch, but he knew Slither had extendable arms that could reach to defend Thatch as a last resort. Casper wanted to be out of the way so the other could do that. So he'll go far top left with Slither to his right. It'll all be fine. Thatch would sit to the left of Ra, placed nicely between Slither and the mummy. Everything was planned perfectly. With Thatch placed so close to the center Mantha would be right in front of him. No one would touch the vampire today!

"We're so smart." Ra grinned cockily. Mantha tried not to let her eyes roll out of her head. "Nothing will get past us."

Everything was set up so perfectly. They had finished their breakfasts (expect Thatch) and all rushed to Dr. Burn's class to get their planned seats. Thatch kept his cloak off as planned, just having it rest in his lap as he got his notebook and fountain pen out. Casper could see he and Ra were very stiff next to each other, both of then bumping into each other as they set up their stuff, and both unsure whether to pass an insult or say sorry. So neither of them spoke. Honestly, they were a headache.

Casper sat to the left of Slither, and he was happy to see the snake monster was sinking down in his seat and back so Casper didn't have to lean to look around him. It was a small but thoughtful gesture nonetheless. He was glad he was able to break Slither out of his shell.

Casper took a calming breath and got his notebook and pen out to take notes, but he was just so nervous. Dummy Girl would pay for this. How dare she attack Thatch, two days in a row as well! It made his blood, even if he had none, boil. As students filed in Casper kept looking behind them, careful to see who all sat around them. To his surprise, Dummy Girl and Triclops sat in the very back of the class. Harpy was sitting behind Casper, and from what the ghost noted she was all fluffed up and upset, her feathers all ruffled. Maybe she got into a fight with Dummy Girl and Triclops? Harpy certainly looked upset... Did Harpy back out of the plan and get yelled at by the other two? Perhaps… But now that Harpy seemed out of the picture that just meant they could focus more on Triclops and Dummy Girl.

Wolfie and Fly Boy were actually behind Thatch and Ra, and it brought comfort to Casper. Casper rose from his seat and went over to their table, weakly smiling. "Hey guys," he whispered softly. "Listen, don't ask questions but… I think there's going to be another attack on Thatch. Don't let anyone behind him, ok? Just nod." He instructed gently. Only Fly Boy listened and nodded.

"I'll bite off anyone's hand that tries anything!" He growled, showing off his teeth proudly. Casper couldn't repress his smile.

"Thanks, guys." He said and went back to his seat. At Slither's odd look Casper just shrugged and brushed it off. He didn't feel like explaining that he got Fly Boy and Wolfie on their side. When their teacher walked in is when Casper really started to feel nervous. The class was starting now. Any moment an attack could happen. Mantha was called up to the front of the class, just as planned. She moved and stood right in front of Thatch as she went on about how zombies were once the most feared creatures, and how all her limbs still worked even when removed and such. Many people brushed zombies off as outdated and boring like Thatch did, but they were still terrifying. Casper had a feeling Thatch was only harsh on Mantha because vampires, mummies, and zombies were all the living dead, and in a way, all had to compete with each other. With mummies being rarer there was a little worry with Ra, but Mantha would be a threat.

Zombies VS Vampires. A very interesting dynamic. Casper took notes dutifully, his eyes drifting from Mantha and then to Thatch. He couldn't help but smile every time he and Thatch met each other's gaze. Seems Thatch wasn't fully paying attention to Mantha as well. Casper wanted to of course but he had a duty as Thatch's… boyfriend to protect him. It was so thrilling to consider himself the vampire's boyfriend. He just wanted to shout it out to the world. But, he kept it contained and just tried not to blush as he wrote down what Mantha said and Dr. Burns said. She was much more talkative than Slither, and thus they got a lot more information.

He wrote, a gentle smile on his lips as he watched the black ink flow smoothly out of his pen, but not as smooth as Thatch looked. Maybe he should get a fountain pen, or he could always just… borrow Thatch's. He was sure the vampire wouldn't mind it.

Casper tried to mimic Thatch with his own normal pen. The smooth black lines flowed across the white, following Casper's careful writing, until the ghost gasped in pain, clutching the pen and yanking his arms close to his body so quickly he left a long black streak all the way down the page, actually ripping it from how harsh he had pressed down on the pen when he retracted his arms. Pain filled his body and he gasped despite having no lungs, his vision filled with red. Pain filled him and he couldn't even tell why or where the pain was radiating from, but he could feel it most intense at his core, leaving him utterly helpless.

Casper could only see red, and despite his ever-present need to be quiet he let out a pained cry, curling in on himself in his chair, his body started to feel lightheaded and dizzy, swaying as his vision blurred. He couldn't make out much, a hand, or arm… Oh, it was Slither. Slither was reaching out and grabbing the ghost to steady him. Casper felt like collapsing, but at the same time, the pain that shot through his body kept him wide awake to feel every terrible wave.

Yelling was in the room, full-blown panic. Something was thrown over him and Casper was jumbled around, moving. He could feel his body being passed to someone other than Slither, actual hands gripped him tightly and he could feel the movement, each action making him ache… but then, the pain faded like he was given painkiller. Whatever that was on him was removed from over his head and Casper could see just fine. He was in Thatch's arm, the cloak draped over his body still from where the vampire had just thrown it on the ghost. Thatch was backed into a corner at the far side of the room, his eyes wild looking as he held Casper to his chest, his back pressed against the stone wall.

Casper turned his head slowly and looked towards the class, spotting Mantha actually fighting Dummy Girl. Hair pulling, kicking, yelling- oh and Mantha just lost an arm. But now that detached arm was grabbing Dummy Girl's string on her back just to piss her off. Looked like a nasty fight.

Harpy was crying from her seat, using her wings to cover her eyes as Ra uncertainly comforted her, but Casper could see the disgust on his face. Ra was pissed. Why was Ra mad at Harpy? What happened?

Slither was holding something- a flower. It had a black stem that reflected light in a purple glow. The flower, well the bud was red. The plant hadn't bloomed yet. It reminded Casper of a red rose, a weird monster style red rose perhaps?

It was letting off some sort of red mist, a lot of it. The mist seemed to cling to whatever. It was fuming around Casper's seat, and now around Slither since he was holding it up as Dr. Burns inspected it. It was only then Casper noticed that Harpy was surrounded by the red mist…

She did this? Harpy…

"Foul bird… I'll pluck her and maketh her a stuffed turkey." Thatch hissed, his voice dripping with venom. Casper frowned, looking back at the enraged vampire. He then noticed just how tight Thatch was holding him- it hurt but nothing like what that flower did. Casper leaned against Thatch's chest, letting his head rest there as he sighed softly.

"I'm ok… Don't be mad. She's filled with guilt and that's enough. Look, she's crying…"

"Her drops of sorrow are obsolete. I shall alloweth her to suffer in her own sorrows, but the lady deserves worse." Casper tried not to smile. He could hear a bit of an accent, or something when Thatch spoke. "The lady is nothing but a foul beast, a monster with nay morals or cares for those 'round her. To attacketh the innocent-"

"You sound like a dusty book."

"I'm pissed!" Thatch snapped. Casper tried not to laugh. So in great times of extreme emotions Thatch would revert to old English? That was so confusing but ever so funny. It made Casper feel better, to smile and laugh. Now Thatch wasn't talking like an old dusty man at least. It reminded the ghost of Ms. Krimzon with her wheezy voice like a deflating tire. If Thatch ever ended up like that, it certainly would be a sight.

"I can see that," Casper mumbled softly, then simply rested. He felt exhausted. He was also terribly confused. What was that thing? He knew there were few things that could hurt ghosts. Even in Ra's monster card games ghosts were 'OP' as the mummy put it. Overpowered or whatever in the system, but that was just how ghosts were. But if ghosts were so powerful, then what the heck was that thing!?

Dr. Burns refused to touch the flower, just leaning close to exam it and ordered Slither to turn it anyways he pleased. "Exactly what I thought… Blood Blossom. This plant is forbidden in the Underworld, and extinct in the fleshie world." He noted, his eyes narrowing as smoke rose from his nostrils. His eyes went to Harpy who was shaking and crying. "Where did you get it!" He yelled. The student couldn't respond, too deep in her tears. "Slither, toss that flower into the fire at once!" He ordered.

The serpent monster nodded and he moved towards the teacher's bunsen burner, but as he moved closer he looked at Thatch. Thatch's eyes narrowed and he shook his head. Slither pretended to throw it into the flames, when he actually slipped it up his sleeve, out of sight.

"Thatch…?" Casper whispered.

"It's evidence. I'll find a way to pin this on Dummy Girl. Harpy was only a pawn." Thatch hissed. "And if it means planting this evidence back onto Dummy Girl herself, then so be it." The vampire decided. "Don't worry, I'll never let it get near you again, I swear. Slither is going to go seal it away in a jar, it'll be controlled then." He tried to smile. Casper couldn't return it.

With the Blood Blossom 'disposed' of it was only then Dr. Burns saw Dummy Girl and Mantha still fighting. Mantha had lost a leg now, and Dummy Girl was desperately trying to crawl away from the zombie, who was clearly winning the fight.

"Triclops! Get this dead freak off!" Dummy Girl ordered. Triclops looked to Mantha, then her gaze went over to Casper. Oh, she hated Thatch, but she liked Casper. Casper always helped her…

"Deal with your own problems. This is your fault," she said coldly. "Now Harpy is taking the fall." She scoffed, and Triclops placed her boot on Dummy Girl's face and shoved her back into Mantha before she walked away. Mantha managed to wrestle Dummy Girl down and pin her to the stone floor now.

"Girls… GIRLS!" Dr. Burns yelled as he walked over. "What is this all this fighting, Mantha release her at once!"

"She did it! It was all Dummy Girl!"

"It's not me, it's Harpy!" Dummy Girl lied swiftly. "You can see the red mist all around her, it's clearly her, I'm innocent! Mantha attacked me for no reason."

"Mantha! Detention!" Dr. Burns roared, separating the two students. He gave them both a glare, assuring they wouldn't attack each other before he went back to Harpy, taking the guilty student out of class to go face the Headmasters.

Mantha growled, reattaching her missing limbs before she looked around, spotting Thatch and Casper in the corner. She walked over, but stopped when Thatch hissed, showing his teeth and clutching to Casper tightly. Casper softly whined, looking up at the vampire.

"Thatch? It's Mantha…" He mumbled, trying to assure the vampire it was all ok. The violet-eyed monster glared at the zombie, but after a few moments he nodded.

"I was… She has no red on her that I can see."

"Yes Thatch, I'm safe." She comforted, holding her hands up in a peaceful manner. She moved over and Thatch allowed it now. Thatch was still careful to watch her, but she was never once near the Blood Blossom so none of the red mist clung to her, like it was doing to Ra, Slither and Casper's seat. "Let's get you back to the dorms."

"But class?" Casper weakly whined.

"Class canceled, I don't care. If they tell us to return to class we can all say we're ill or some crap." Mantha grumbled. Thatch nodded in agreement. The zombie led the way, clearing the path for Thatch and Casper, even holding doors since Thatch's hands were full. Ra waved goodbye, seeming to understand to stay away, despite the fact he was normally immature. He didn't want to hurt Casper, and since he had that red mist clinging to him the mummy couldn't even follow his best friends.

"I messed up…" Mantha whispered as they walked down the hall. She looked to Thatch and Casper, then averted her gaze in shame. "I thought they were going after you Thatch… I should have thrown my dumb ear. If only I had listened more…"

"Mantha," Thatch carefully started. "You warned us something was going to happen in the first place. Without you we would have been completely off guard. You would have been standing further away, unable to help- all of us would have had our guard down." He explained. "Slither wouldn't have spotted the Blood Blossom as quickly as he did." He smiled, then nudged Casper. "Right?"

"I actually don't remember much…. It just hurt a lot." Casper muttered. Thatch quickly nodded in understanding.

"Mantha wanna tell him what you saw? You would have saw everything."

"Yeah… Well." She started. "I was watching Thatch and Dummy Girl as planned. I saw her wave to Harpy. She pulled out a jar and just tossed the flower under your seat Casper." She explained simply, nervously removing her pointer finger and reattaching it as she walked. "When you curled in so fast you scared Slither half to death I think- he nearly fell back out of his seat. He didn't even try to catch himself honestly, he just grabbed you and lifted you up as he hit the floor. I think he hit his head, we should check on that. From the floor he spotted the flower. Thatch by then had rose up and put his cloak over you and Slither passed you to Thatch so he could handle the flower. Ra was about to hit Harpy until he saw her crying so… And I attacked Dummy Girl while Thatch backed himself into a corner. That's all."

"See? In the end you were our eyes." Casper softly smiled. "We messed up the plan, so what? We trusted each other and worked well together." Casper said firmly. Yeah he was sore and tired, but he was still positive. They had each other and that's all that mattered. Trust, loyalty, and love.


	25. Undercover Slither

Chapter 25: Undercover Slither

Thatch was careful as he, Mantha, and Casper entered the boy's dorm together, which was empty due to everyone still being in Dr. Burn's class probably. The violet-eyed vampire looked over to Casper's bed, but then changed his mind and carried the ghost over to his coffin. Mantha opened the lid for Thatch and the living vampire carefully placed Casper in, letting the ghost rest on the soft, silky padding. Thatch sat on the lip of the coffin then, close but not all up in Casper's space. A spot where he could guard the injured ghost, watch over him for any danger that might come their way. Casper wanted to protest, but Thatch's coffin was very comfortable and the cloak over him served as a nice blanket. It was warm and comforting, and Casper could tell it was THE cloak. Thatch's father's cloak. He had a piece of history over him, from Vincent to Thatch, and now Casper was allowed to use such a precious object to Thatch as a blanket? It was mind-boggling.

"Let me get you a pillow." Mantha hummed and went over to Casper's bed, grabbing the pillow off of it and carrying it over to Thatch and Casper. She was about to just hand it to Casper when Thatch took it. He looked it over carefully, then passed it to Casper once he approved of it. "Geez, paranoid much?" Mantha muttered as Casper set the pillow under his head.

"Better safe than sorry. We already messed up today." He sighed. Casper smiled, hearing Thatch say 'we' instead of blaming Mantha purely for this, which the old Thatch certainly would have. Casper didn't really want to lay down and rest, but he was feeling sore and knew he probably should. So the ghost didn't fuss as he nuzzled into the pillow, curling in on himself as he pulled the cloak close, faintly smiling.

That seemed to get to the vampire because his gray skin heated up and turned pink. Thatch actually had to stand up and started to pace around nervously, trying not to look at the ghost. Mantha just smiled and watched the vampire with some amusement in her eyes.

"Okay Thatch, we need a plan." Mantha decided easily. "If we're going to pin this on Dummy Girl we gotta be smart about it. How did she even get it?"

"Wouldn't be hard if you knew the right people. Those flowers like to grow in the forests and swamps of the Underworld. I bet if you go far enough into the school's forest you might find some. They're trying to eliminate them but those things grow like weeds. Hell, my dad used to grow them."

"Your dad grew them?"

"Very strong chemical reactions." Thatch explained quickly, his eyes darting back to his coffin. Casper was listening in silence, wondering about Thatch's life again. Thatch's dad grew such a dangerous plant? "My dad had a single flower pot in his lab and he just let it grow so much it took over an entire wall. Honestly, those things grow like crazy." Thatch waved the thought off. "My dad used them in some sort of test. My mom kept growing them after… Ya know," Thatch mumbled softly. His hands drifted back into his pockets, grabbing the bat clasp that he kept ever so safe and with him, always. "But were outlawed in the Underworld forever ago so mom disposed of it so even my family don't have access to them. Dummy Girl probably forced Mosshead to get it, or went into the Underworld market and paid some people off."

"But what for? Just to hurt Casper?" Mantha sighed softly, looking off as she fell into deep thought. "She has to have some sort of end goal for this, right?"

"Or she could be dumb and just trying to get revenge in childish… dangerous ways. I have no clue." Thatch countered. "I've lost all control over her."

"Let's use Slither!" Mantha said excitedly, an idea popping into her head just as the dorm door opened.

"Let's not…" Slither whispered as he stood behind Ra. Both of them were red mist free, a bit wet from cleaning up but at least they could do no harm to Casper. The ghost smiled and waved to them from Thatch's coffin. Ra gave a respectful nod, and much to Casper's disappointment he got no response from Slither.

Slither was watching Mantha distrustingly now, even leaving Ra's side as he went over to Thatch, actually hiding behind the vampire so he wasn't in the line of sight of Mantha. Thatch just weakly smiled and tried not to roll his eyes at the childish motion, but at the same time, he didn't move.

"How about we hear out her plan first, Slither. Got the flower?" He asked carefully. Slither nodded and opened his robes a bit, slipping out a glass jar with a lid sealed on tight. And even then Slither took it a step further and put the sealed jar in a plastic bag, which he then taped shut for extra protection. Seems Slither knew Thatch was going to be very cautious and adapted to the vampire's needs accordingly. Thatch took the jar, frowning as he looked at the dumb flower. There seemed to be a mix of emotions. Yes, this flower hurt Casper, but it reminded him of his father as well.

"Well, uh…" Mantha cleared her throat, getting the attention of the boys again. "We have Slither return back to Dummy Girl's side, pretend to be her friend again. Slither you just gotta act like you hate Thatch now." Mantha explained. Slither didn't seem to like the idea in the slightest. He moved closer to Thatch, peering over Thatch's shoulder as he childishly stayed behind the older monster for protection. Mantha decided to just continue explaining her plan anyway. "Claim we blamed you for not protecting Casper good enough or something. Go back to Dummy Girl, find out her plans and find a good way to pin this on her."

Slither shook his head and wrapped his arms around Thatch, pressing against his back. Thatch weakly smiled and sighed, holding the jar out to Ra, who begrudging took it. "Slither," Thatch started. "We need to get Dummy Girl for this. She already got me and Casper. Will she go for us again, or one of you next? We got to do something." He spoke smoothly.

"I'll have to be mean to you then," Slither muttered, glancing off. He fully understood the need to do this, but he simply didn't want to. He was also desperate to look anywhere but to Casper, feeling far too guilty for failing to protect the ghost.

"That'll be ok." Thatch hummed. "Pretend to be mean, I don't mind." He encouraged gently. "It'll be fine, I promise Slither."

"Slither," Casper carefully piped up from the coffin. The serpent refused to look over but that didn't deter the monster. "I don't want anyone else to get hurt. All we got to do is find proof on Dummy Girl. We don't have to frame her." He said firmly, looking at Thatch who scoffed, rolling his eyes. Thatch really wanted to mess Dummy Girl up, but Casper only wanted to do things the right way. "You'll be telling white lies is all, and acting like you hate us. We won't take anything personally, we'll all understand." Casper smiled kindly. Slither softly hissed, staying behind Thatch, but after a few moments, he slowly released the vampire.

"Promise not to hate me?" He asked Thatch carefully, peering up at him. Thatch chuckled and just nodded, and that seemed to be enough for Slither. The gray monster looked over to Mantha and sighed. "... Okay." He agreed gloomily.

"Okay good." Mantha nodded. "And since Casper doesn't want to plant the evidence, we need to hide that jar," she muttered, looking at Ra who held the evil Blood Blossom. "If we're not going to use it we should get rid of it."

"W-wait no." Thatch said quickly. "Let's not… I um… I'll hold onto it if we don't need it." He decided simply. He took the jar back from Ra quickly, heading over to the coffin. "Casper would you mind?" he asked gently. Casper scootched back and Thatch opened one of the many compartments under the padding and placed the ziplocked jar. "It'll be hidden and harmless there." He assured Casper, who smiled and hugged Thatch, his arms wrapped around the vampire's shoulders as he nuzzled close.

"Thank you," Casper softly whispered. Thatch smiled and held the ghost close to himself, pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead. It was still odd giving each other affection, and even weirder doing it in front of people but it all felt nice. They had each other and their friends accepted that.

"I'll go to Dummy Girl," Slither muttered softly, his eyes downcasted. "It's best we do this quickly so it can be over with faster-"

"That's a positive way to look at it-"

"Even if it'll suck and Dummy Girl might not believe me," Slither added on gloomily. Mantha deflated and just sighed. At least she tried. Slither gave a regretful look at Thatch, who could only offer a smile as he kept Casper wrapped up in his arms. Slither watched the couple closely, then left the dorm.

"Can't he ever be positive?" Ra grumbled softly.

"We just sent him on an undercover mission pretty much, lay off." Mantha defended. "Let's just hope this all works." Casper could tell Mantha was worried. He was too, but he trusted Slither to do this job well. But… He did want to see what was going on.

"T-thatch? Can I take a nap?" He gently questioned. "I'm really tired…"

"Oh, of course." He smiled kindly and laid Casper back down in the coffin, pulling the cloak to cover Casper. "I'll shut the lid now, ok?" He asked kindly. Casper nodded and smiled, pulling the cloak up, playfully covering his mouth and nose so just his eyes were out. Thatch softly laughed. "So cute," he whispered and shut the coffin. Casper weakly smiled, waiting a few moments before he fazed out the back of the coffin, leaving the cloak and all his clothes behind. He made sure he was invisible, carefully floating above the floor as he went over to the door. He briefly glanced back, seeing Thatch sitting beside the coffin and talking to Mantha and Ra. Things seemed so peaceful, perfect. Casper smiled gently. This is the life he wanted for them. Together and happy.

Casper watched for a few more moments before he fazed through the door. He had to go find Slither now, just to make sure everything was ok. He was still worried, Mantha said Slither had hit his head but Slither wasn't acting hurt. Maybe Slither really was stronger than he looked.

The hallways were filled with life once more. All the innocent students were released from all classes today. Now they had a whole free day to study or goof off. Of course, everyone was going to goof off, no one wanted to study after all. Casper hurriedly flew, fazing through walls and doors in his search. He even checked the cellar, where Mosshead was being forced to clean, observed by FrankenGymTeacher.

It took some time, but Casper ended up finding Dummy Girl and Slither in the library of all places, hidden in the dark corner where they could be left alone. Okay, maybe Dummy Girl did want to study in their free time. He would have never guessed. Casper was nervous to get close, even if he knew it was perfectly safe. So, he hovered around, close enough to hear but a comfortable distance away. He calmly observed the two, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Dummy Girl. He was mad to see her in perfect health, despite the fight she and Mantha had gotten into.

"D-Dummy Girl I'm sorry," Slither whispered, his arms outreached in a helpless manner. "I made a mistake, a big one." He tried to explain, and in return the puppet just huffed and turned her back to him, her nose upturned. Slither hung his head submissively, his arms falling lifelessly to his side. "Please, I have no one else. Thatch hates me, the others hate me, no one will talk to me."

"How is that my issue?" She scoffed, simply trying to wave Slither off like he was some annoying pest. "Maybe you should have came with me when I told you too!"

"I wish I did. I thought Thatch cared for me, but he used me; I can see that now. I was a fool. Dummy Girl we've always helped each other, right?" His voice trembled, his chest heaving with emotion. The monster would be crying if his kind had tear glands. Being reptile like really sucked sometimes. Honestly not having the ability to cry made Casper pity Slither even more. Slither moved, resting one of his striped hands-on Dummy Girl's shoulder in a comforting, yet begging manner. Casper had to admit Slither was really good at acting pitiful, even he was feeling bad. "You're all I have left. Please, don't cast me aside. I don't want to be alone."

Dummy Girl sighed, glancing back at Slither, then quickly away. Casper could see Dummy Girl was slowly starting to cave. Slither was desperate to convince her. "I can't be alone Dummy Girl, not again, please… Let me help you. Let us get revenge on Thatch for abandoning us." He moved forward, wrapping his arms around the puppet, pulling her closer to himself in a desperate hug. "It'll be you and me from now on. We'll make Thatch pay."

"You mean that…? You'll help me?"

"Anything. We'll make them suffer, it'll be anything you want." Slither said firmly, releasing the smaller monster. "Use me if you need to, just don't leave me alone."

"... Fine. I'll accept you back. I knew you would always return to me." She said confidently. "I'll be a better leader than Thatch ever was! You'll never want to leave my side."

Slither forced a smile and nodded to her words. "Let's do this." He hissed. Casper couldn't help but flinch. Slither was a really good actor and honestly, for a moment, he felt fear. He didn't want to admit it, but he still had some… doubts about Slither. Yes he trusted him, he saw the good in Slither, but at the same time, the gloomy monster could be unpredictable. Casper just really didn't know much about the monster. He just had to put his trust in Thatch, and his trust in Slither. That's all he could do.

Casper watched for a few more moments before he floated out of the library, slowly making his way back to the boy's dorm where he slipped right back inside the coffin, got redressed and laid down like he was supposed to be doing. He snuggled right back into the soft silk, pulling Thatch's cloak, the cloak over him. He wanted to trust Thatch fully. He wanted them all to be safe and happy. The ghost yawned and stretched out before he curled up, clutching the cloak tightly as he allowed himself to sleep, the exhaustion of the day catching up to the ghostly child.


	26. Thatch The Bad Guy

Chapter 26: Thatch The Bad Guy

Casper wished he woke up to a pleasant morning. He wishes the day would start off great and he could have a great day, but wishes don't come true. The ghost was rudely woken up when the lid to Thatch's coffin was yanked open, light pouring in and making the ghost whine and cover his eyes, wincing from the bright light. He naturally turned away, pulling the cloak up more to try to shield himself from the light.

"Up! You're coming to our office right now!" Alder or Dash yelled. Casper couldn't tell due to just waking up. But the ghost got up after a moment, climbing out of the coffin. He, of course, brought the cloak with him, not daring to leave it in the coffin with no protection. As Casper blinked his eyes he soon noticed Thatch was also awake and by the door, looking pretty grouchy and tired. By the looks of it the vampire had a rude awakening too, but perhaps rude wasn't a strong enough word. Casper could only assume Thatch slept in a normal bed, and clearly that had not set well with Thatch at all. The vampire looked rough and fuming, his violet eyes narrowed so hatefully, his mouth slightly open as he actually made a light, hissing like sound. He looked like he was about to bite someone, so Casper went over and offered a friendly smile, and much to Casper's delight the vampire calmed down.

"Here," the ghost whispered he held out the cloak, which Thatch quickly took and draped it over his shoulders. He straightened the cowl then pulled the bat clasp from his pocket and put it on the cloak, hooking the cloak right in place. "What's going on?" Casper whispered as he watched the Headmasters move in their ever slow pace, starting to lead the two students along. Thatch and Casper fell into step behind them as they should, but far enough away to whisper to each other still.

"I suspect they're going to try to get us in trouble for being attacked… Don't worry, I'll handle this." Thatch mumbled under his breath, his eyes narrowed at the back of the headmasters. Casper could tell Thatch was plotting something, but whatever it was was alluding him. The vampire knew something.

"You always 'handle' things… But how you can do this? You don't have any more blackmail on them like before." The ghost whispered, gently bumping into the vampire as they walked. Thatch tried his best not to smile, his glare broken as he looked at the blue-eyed monster. Casper found comfort knowing he had the power of Thatch to calm the raging vampire. He didn't want their situation to get any worse than it was, and a mad vampire would certainly do that.

"Who needs blackmail when I got my mom?" The vampire grinned widely. "These two will regret this." Thatch said simply. He reached out, briefly brushing his ever warm hand to Casper's freezing 'skin' before they started to head up the metal staircase to the Headmaster's office. The pair kept their mouths shut now, not wanting to be overheard. The gargoyles were all sitting around the office doors, staring at them, judging them.

To Casper's surprise when they entered the circular office no one else was in there; no other student in the room. He didn't get it, why were they the only ones summoned? Why were they the only ones in trouble? Casper was nearly positive they didn't break any rules, but perhaps Alder and Dash were going to make up some rules they ever existed and said they broke them.

Casper peered up towards the elder monster as he took his seat behind his desk. The two-headed monster wasn't even looking at them, well uh, the smarter one wasn't. Casper could tell Dash was trying to be intimidating while Alder was blankly staring at them, watching them as if he was waiting for something to happen. It was a bit unnerving to be watched.

Casper nervously glanced around, and when he opened his mouth to speak he was instantly silenced by Dash. The ghost frowned, his eyebrows furrowing. He angrily crossed his arms over his chest. Okay, so he wasn't allowed to talk, wasn't that lovely. They couldn't even ask why they were here in the first place. Luckily the standstill only lasted a few more moments.

"I suspect you both know why you're here." He stated simply.

"No." The pair said, but the Headmaster continued as if they said yes.

"Continue this behavior and I'll have to call your family." He warned coldly. "What you're doing is a disgrace-"

"Call her." Thatch hissed, taking a step forward towards the desk to challenge the scaled headmasters. Casper naturally reached out, gently grabbing Thatch's cloak as he partly hidden behind the vampire, keeping his own gaze down. He wished Thatch would just stop and not get in trouble. Casper really didn't know how his mother would react, but the vampire seemed oh so sure she would be in his side, but how could he know if Alder and Dash were the ones calling her?

"Excuse me? What?" Alder asked dumbly.

"I said, call her. Call my mom and tell her what things I've done, the rules I broke." Thatch stated boldly while childishly stomping his foot. "You said you would, so do it!" Casper tugged on the cloak, but Thatch did not turn to look. Casper weakly whined and fearfully looked towards the headmasters, trying to plead with his eyes. He didn't want Thatch to get in trouble- he lost control over the hot-headed bat.

"Well I… I never!" Dash huffed, puffing his chest out with pride. "Very well, you asked for it." He snapped, wiggling his tentacle arm at the vampire as if he was wagging his finger to a child. He moved a few papers around until he found the crystal ball on the desk that acted like a phone for monster kind. He picked up the receiver and called Thatch's home, and after a few long rings the ball glowed purple, showing it was connected. Alder did something and it must have turned it on 'speaker' mode or something because they could all hear Thatch's mother now.

"Hello, this is Clementine Man-" Her voice was ever so soft and calm, almost as if she was humming a song until she was cut off that is.

"Ma'am we're here to call about your son." He interrupted cockily, his head wiggling proudly on his long neck as he squared his shoulders. There was a long pause and the sound of his mother shifting, probably sitting up. Casper guessed she had been reading and relaxing when they called.

"About Thatch? Is there something wrong?" She spoke a bit firmer. Casper could only imagine the look on her face. The ghost tugged at Thatch, trying to silently plead with him, but the vampire paid him no mind. Thatch's eyes were only on the glowing orb, his eyes narrowed.

"Well yes ma'am, he's broken many, many rules and he'll be expelled at this rate," Dash claimed, looking down at Thatch. Thatch crossed his arms over his chest and rolled his eyes uncaringly.

"That's terrible, I raised my son to be a good boy. What has he done?" Clementine asked quickly, distress present in her voice. Casper could hear her shift, she was probably standing up now, nervously pacing. He could just imagine her in the library or perhaps in one of the many offices, perhaps the lounge even?

"What hasn't he done! He's upset the order of the school is what he's done. He's caused a divide among the students, causing fights and chaos. We even found a fellow student sleeping in his coffin last night."

"Sleeping in his coffin… Was it that ghost, Casper?" Clementine was sounding much calmer than before, and it brought confusion upon the headmasters.

"Well yes-"

"Was he in the coffin with him?"

"Well no-"

"Then what's the issue?"

"... The issue is your son is being friendly and from what we've heard, Casper and Thatch are in a relationship."

"Oh, a relationship!" Clementine gasped. After a long pause, they heard her laughing. "Oh my little bat has grown, he and Casper are together, how cute!" She cooed joyfully. Casper flushed and looked down at his feet, but at the same time felt a bit of pride. Had he gained Clementines' approval? He didn't even know how he did it...

"W-wait ma'am, I don't think you're getting it. They're causing fights and-"

"Let me speak to my son. Is he there?"

"I'm here!" Thatch quickly yelled before the Headmasters could say no. Thatch hurried forward, placing his hands on the desk and leaned up towards the 'phone'. "Mom I'm right here with Casper. You're on speaker." He quickly informed. The Headmasters had no choice but to let Thatch speak now.

"Oh my little bat, is it true? You and Casper are together?"

"Yes mom, we are." He spoke, his cheeks flushing as he looked back at the ghost. "And I don't want to hide it." He stated proudly, offering his hand to Casper. The ghost let out an embarrassed whimper and went to Thatch willingly, tightly gripping his hand. Why must the vampire always embarrass him?

"I'm so happy for you. I knew there was a certain spark between you two." She sighed happily. "My little bat… But, you two are in trouble?" Concern returned to her voice now, a hint of panic and confusion.

"Mom I don't get it." Thatch innocently continued, his voice ever so sweet, but his eyes were narrowed as he watched the headmasters, daring them to try to intervene. He knew exactly what to do now that he had his mother's concern. "Casper and I are together, and we're so happy about it mom, and some students understood us but others didn't. Then, we were attacked, two days in a row! I had garlic thrown at me, mommy!" As spoke he raised his voice and made soft, fake whimpering sounds like he was still in pain. He made sure to add in the 'mommy' just to assure he captured her heart. He was after all a momma's boy, and his mother was so terribly protective.

"Garlic!?" She gasped, and Casper could almost hear the cracking sound of the receiver. If Clementine held onto the phone any tighter he had a feeling it might break. The ghost said nothing, watching the vampire easily pull his mother's heartstrings- for the greater good of course.

"Yes mom, then they even got the illegal Blood Blossom and hurt Casper, so to protect him I put him in my coffin last night." He easily explained one of the 'offenses' the headmasters had listed off. "No one is protecting us and they're allowing the students to attack us mom, I'm afraid for Casper's safety!" Thatch pretended to cry.

Alder and Dash paled, quickly trying to pull the magical orb away from the vampire, but the damage was done, Thatch had pulled the exact heart strings needed to assure he won. The pair hurried to take the orb off speaker while Dash raised the receiver up, but even then Thatch and Casper could hear Clementine's angry screaming.

"Alder, Dash! How DARE you let my son and his sweet boyfriend be attacked, then you try to turn this on them and blame them! They could have died!"

"Ma'am he's telling lies," Dash countered.

"No, he isn't," Alder said stupidly, as always. They could just hear Clementine hissing like an evil cat about to rip some poor guy to shreds.

"Ma'am if you don't calm down we'll call Kibosh-" Dash tried to threaten, only he was cut off this time.

"Oh thee bet I'll best calling that green ghost, I have his personal number, and I'll assure thee I'll maketh sure you're nobodies on the street of the Underworld, don't thee knoweth who I am!" She yelled shrilly, making the two-headed monster wince and hold the receiver away from their heads. "If I have to leaveth this castle I will suck that scaly body of yours dry of every drop of crimson! But of course I bet it's infected and nothing better than bog water, not coequal fit for a werewolf to consume!"

"Ma'am please-" Alder tried to beg.

"Don't thee ma'am me, thee dare try to pin these attacks on my son and Casper, at which are the victims of bullying and attacks. I can open my own Scare School and it'll outdo yours within minutes of being opened, thee stoned turtles!"

"Oh great, look at what you did," Thatch smirked, resting a hand on his hip sassily as he watched the panicking headmasters. "I haven't seen her get this mad since she ripped the throat out of a fleshie for wondering into our home." Thatch's words did nothing but made the purple-scaled monster go almost white.

"I don't even know what she's saying!" Alder hopelessly whined.

"I'll translate." Thatch jumped up onto the desk, snatching the receiver away. "Mom said she'll kill you, or make sure you're nobodies since you tried to blame me and Casper for these attacks."

Casper looked at the vampire, and honestly, he was trying not to smile. His mom was worse than Thatch when he got mad! He certainly could understand where the vampire was coming from now. He felt safe and content now, letting himself lean against the vampire's side as he watched their headmasters get chewed out.

"But it is your fault!" Dash yelled. Thatch was simply holding up the receiver so his mom could hear every word said.

"Mommy, did you hear that?" Thatch whimpered into the phone. Dash reached out to snatch the phone, and an evil look came over the vampire. Instead, Thatch jumped off the desk, pulling the orb with him so it came crashing down, along with everything else on top of the desk. Casper jumped back, flinching at the loud sound, then watched in horror. Surely they were dead now!

"Mom, they attacked me!" Thatch yelled into the phone, then looked to the headmasters. Alder was just staring drop-jawed and looking a bit green himself.

"Why you little brat!" Dash snapped, then flinched back as Thatch held up the receiver.

"That's it, I'm calling him!" Clementine screamed, the voice coming out of the receiver loudly. "If I find Thatch or Casper hurt, I will kill you!" Then, the orb stopped glowing as Clementine hung up.

"Oh… I guess she's calling Kibosh now." Thatch almost huffed, lazily looking at his black nails after he put the receiver down. He wasn't even paying mind to the Headmaster's distress. Casper had never really noticed that Thatch, the once big bad bully, took the time to paint his nails black. It was funny to imagine the vampire just sitting in his coffin with the small bottle of black nail polish, focusing ever so carefully as he painted the nails.

Honestly, Casper was still in a bit of shock. Mostly everything was the truth until Thatch claimed to be attacked. Sometimes he really forgot Thatch use to be the bad guy, the bully of the school that would do anything to get his way. Seems he went to the extremes if it meant getting Casper out of trouble. It was worrying but at the same time… sweet? Casper couldn't think of the exact word, he just knew he would have to talk to Thatch in private about this. The vampire couldn't be pulling these sort of stunts! Plus his mother must be terribly upset right now…

Then, Kibosh appeared. Casper quickly hid behind Thatch, keeping his eyes down as he clung to the vampire cloak, trying to hide from the large green ghost. Thatch stood his ground, pondering for a moment how to react before he suddenly grabbed Casper and actually ran behind Kibosh as if hiding from the headmasters. "Thank the stars you're here!" Thatch cried in distress. Kibosh stared down at the two students, then turned to the babbling headmasters who were trying to explain themselves, which was a rather pitiful display.

"Illegal substance on school grounds? Failure to protect the students?" Kibosh's voice boomed. "And now, causing the parents stress over these made up rules?" He drew out slowly, looking at the mess on the floor. He floated over, lifting the orb off the floor and setting it back on the desk.

"Kibosh they're lying!" Dash pitifully whimpered. "Ask Casper, h-he won't lie! Casper tell him, we did nothing wrong." He quickly said, looking to the ghost.

Thatch held onto the ghost tightly, a deep frown on his lips Casper felt panic strike him. He was going to have to lie to protect himself and Thatch. He didn't want to lie, he wanted to be truthful… He could stretch the truth. Casper took a shaky breath, dropping his gaze down as he clung to the vampire.

Kibosh coldly watched, and in his eyes, he was seeing a young ghost cling to his former bully for protection, now what did that say? "You don't need to speak." He firmly decided.

"I want to…" Casper whispered, cautiously raising his gaze. "They were going to expel us, just because other students were attacking us… Someone," He claimed, not daring put Mosshead in this much trouble, "threw garlic at Thatch."

"And someone got Blood blossom and attacked Casper!" Thatch frowned. "That stuff can kill a ghost, can't it?" He asked, even though he knew the answer. Kibosh himself was the one that banned the flower.

Kibosh mulled over what was in front of him, seeming to take his time to decide on what to do. "You two students, leave." He finally ordered. Casper felt relief sweep over him and he pulled on Thatch, guiding the vampire towards the door, but Thatch was dragging his feet, looking back at Kibosh.

"Is my mom ok?" He quickly asked, digging his heels into the floor.

"Terribly distressed, but I will assure her soon that this, won't ever happen again." He answered smoothly and waved them off. Casper pulled Thatch out of the office and started to run down the metal stairs, the vampire finally following him willingly. As they ran down the twisting steps they could hear Kibosh's booming voice that seemed to shake the whole school. There were even words Casper didn't quite understand, but Thatch seemed to because he was certainly running and now pulling the ghost along.

"Go go go, he's so mad!" Thatch warned, tightly gripping Casper's hand. The pair ran, not even paying much mind but the two seemed to naturally drift towards the forest, running to their safe spot away from the world.


	27. Casper's Lesson

Chapter 27: Casper's Lesson

Casper smiled as they stopped by their tree, leaning against it heavily as the vampire doubled over, panting for breath while trying to suppress his laughter. "We're in so much trouble," Casper mumbled, pressing his back against the tree.

"Trouble? We just got out of it!" Thatch grinned widely. "Alder and Dash are in so much trouble!"

"We lied…"

"No, not really," he started, then at Casper's disapproving stare he quickly changed gears. "Ok, a small, white lie. It was just the frosting on top of the cake to assure everything went right." He tried to comfort the ghost.

"Right? We could have gotten them fired!" Casper yelled, then bristled and looked away from the vampire.

"And how is that bad?" Thatch grinned, tilting his head to the side in a curious manner. "We don't need them, they're the worst headmasters ever. Maybe we'll get some better ones with them out of the picture." He smoothly spoke and moved forward, letting his hand rest against the tree as he leaned close to the ghost, trapping Casper. "There's no need to worry. I handled it."

"It doesn't feel right."

"I told one, small little lie in all of that. I say that was a big accomplishment." He grinned and leaned close, staring into the ghost's eyes. "You trusted me and I made sure we got out with no trouble. Kibosh will make sure no one hurts you now."

"Your mom sounded so worried."

"And I'll call her and make this all up to her. Don't worry, Casper. Everything is going to be alright… Can't you smile? We're safe, no one can harm us now." He spoke softly. "Aren't you happy about that?"

"Y-yes." The ghost answered swiftly. He pushed himself off the tree and clung to Thatch, hiding his face in the vampire's shirt. "I'm happy but… A lie is a lie."

"It'll be fine." Thatch hummed, holding Casper close to himself, gently rubbing his back in a soothing, circular pattern. Casper melted against the vampire, nuzzling close to the former bully. "If we do somehow get caught, I'll get in trouble. You never told a lie, not once. Alder and Dash were going to lie and expel us, we only defended ourselves. We can't get expelled Casper, you know what happens then…"

"I know." Casper sighed softly, slowly lifting his head and watching the grinning vampire. "Honestly you're terrifying sometimes."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Thatch chuckled. "Now, with the Headmasters out of the way surely we'll actually get some protection, and Slither is tricking Dummy Girl. She'll pay for hurting you."

"And you," Casper reminded him. He hated it when Thatch forgot about himself. He so used to Thatch being so selfish and self-absorbed, but now the vampire barely paid his own health mind. "Thatch, are you eating? I didn't see you eat yesterday."

"I'm fine, Casper." Thatch gave that charming pearly smile and the ghost dropped the subject. If Thatch said he was fine, then who was he to argue? He was only a ghost with limited knowledge on vampires, let alone living vampires. "You should worry about yourself. You got to talk about ghosts today in Dr. Burn's class." He warned. "Which is starting soon, well I think we might be late."

"Me presenting, late?!" Casper gasped. "Why didn't you say anything!"

"I was distracted by-"

"Run!" Casper quickly pulled away and jumped in the air as he took flight. He didn't even look behind him as he started to make a mad dash back towards the school.

Thatch softly laughed and turned into a bat, quickly taking flight and following Casper, though because Thatch's focus was only on Casper he didn't realize the ghost was going to go through walls… And so one second Casper was there, next moment he crashed face first into a stone wall.

Thatch fell back on the ground, retaking his human form and groaning and holding his face. "Dumb ghost…" Thatch mumbled briefly but then smiled. "You're going to be the death of me." He sighed softly and stood up, then noticed the pile of Casper's clothes on the floor. Seems the ghost didn't even notice he was without them now. Thatch sighed and picked them up, figuring he'll hand them back to Casper after class. He didn't feel too mad about flying into the wall surprisingly. It was his fault for not paying attention where he was flying. Thatch decided to just run the rest of the way to avoid face planting into anything else.

As Thatch walked into the classroom he got a glare from Dr. Burns who was standing up on stage beside Casper, who was looking rather sheepish. Thatch flashed a smile and headed on up, having to sit all alone in the front of the class. Ra and Mantha were sitting together, and Slither was in the back of the classroom with Dummy Girl, who started to whisper the second Thatch came in.

Thatch tried to ignore them, despite the sinking feeling in his gut. He settled into his seat, setting Casper's clothes on the chair beside himself before he got out his notebook and pen, prepared to take notes on… Well, Casper. This was certain to be an interesting class. The blue-eyed ghost weakly smiled, seeming a bit skittish but with the supportive looks from his friends and Thatch, he was feeling a bit better.

"So, as we were saying." Dr. Burns started. "Today we'll be reviewing ghosts, one of the most powerful creatures in the Underworld." He said, not noticing how Dummy Girl started to laugh, and Slither could only muster a weak smile and chuckles, though it was clearly forced; not like Dummy Girl cared to notice.

"Casper, powerful? As powerful as a slug." Dummy Girl laughed, raising her voice high enough for everyone to hear. Ra growled from his seat, turning around to confront her, but Mantha grabbed his shoulder and turned Ra right back around.

"No Ra, don't cause a scene," Mantha whispered to the mummy, who groaned. "It's for the best." Mantha kindly reminded, then looked over at Thatch who just huffed, not approving or disapproving of her actions. He wanted to fight Dummy Girl just like Ra did.

Casper nervously fiddled with his hands, looking up at their teacher for guidance, but as always he gave very little. Now he understood by Slither seemed so scared up on stage, and unlike Mantha he had no time to prepare, nor did he know much about ghosts.

"Uh so… Ghosts, right." Casper mumbled, clasping his hands together as he watched the class. "Um…" He paused, looking at Thatch desperately for help. Thatch lightly tapped his pen on his paper, then drew 3 ovals with circles on top. One of them was a long and thing ovals, the other really big- it almost looked like a circle, and the other was just a normal oval with a circle on top, with random squiggly lines coming off of it. Under them, he wrote 'S' 'F' 'S' under the corresponding circles. Casper perked up quickly.

"Oh right um, my uncles, Stretch Fatso and Stinky, um," He paused again, wringing his hands together. "Ghosts sometimes, uh, get… special abilities based on who they were as uh, fleshies?" He uncertainty said, looking back at Dr. Burns who nodded calmly. Ok, not bad.

"My uncle Fatso was, well you can guess it, really fat." He weakly smiled, earning some weak laughter from the class. "And that transferred over to when he was a ghost. He's very big, and despite being a ghost he seems to weight a lot, often breaking things he sits on." Casper explained, starting to feel more comfortable. It was easier to talk about other ghosts than himself.

"Then my uncle Stretch, he was always real sporty in his life, climbing trees and getting into places he shouldn't. Course he also had his huge nose, which he always seemed to break." Caper giggled softly, and he earned more laughter from the class. Hey, this wasn't so bad now! "As a ghost, he can, of course, stretch like a huge accordion or something, it's kinda funny to see… I don't think I need to explain uncle Stinky." Casper mumbled, and he got general nods of approval. No one needed to know those details.

"In general ghosts can fly, faze through things and go invisible. We can almost fit into any space and-"

"Why don't you talk about yourself, Marshmallow!" Dummy Girl called from the back of the classroom. "What about when you were alive, Marshmallow boy?"

"Shut your face, don't call him that!" Thatch stood up and turned around, shaking his fist threateningly at the puppet.

"Sit down," Dr. Burns fumed. "Casper should talk about himself now." He affirmed what Dummy Girl said. Casper nervously looked off to the side, trying to take a soothing breath.

"Unlike my family I uh… Got no special talents-"

"You can say that again." Dummy Girl sneered.

"- and uh…" Casper paused, looking down. "As you can see, I don't… Look human, neither does my family. Most ghosts can," He spoke, looking back to Thatch. He smiled, mentally thanking the vampire for telling him some facts about his own kind. "When ghosts die we often forget our human lives, and if we remember, or find a photo of what we look like we only take on the vague shape or the most prominent features we use to have."

"How did you die?" Mosshead peeped up. He was sitting beside Harpy, and they were kept far away from Dummy Girl, and right in view of Dr. Burns. At least something was being done to assure those two did no more harm. Mosshead was more curious than anything, and truly meant no harm by his question.

"I remember very little about that... And uh, that's not something…" Casper's voice failed him, his gaze dropping down. He really didn't want to talk about such things in front of the class.

"Can't even remember how you died, that's funny!" Dummy Girl hollered. Thatch went to stand up again, but Casper's pleading look managed to stop him. Thatch hissed, crossing his arms over his chest as he sat, fuming in his seat.

"Well then, a few points Casper forgot to mention." Dr. Burns took over when Casper refused to speak any more. Casper was honestly relieved, but he couldn't go back to his seat yet. He just nervously stood there, then flinched back when the teacher made motions to the ghost, talking about how he can make his legs disappear to fly so he was more streamlike, how he can change his appearance at will, such as his hair and so forth. He honestly got why Slither just wanted to curl up. Casper covered his face with his hands, and without meaning to actually went invisible. Dr. burns huffed angrily, waving his hand around and trying to find Casper, he also just made himself intangible out of pure embarrassment.

"Casper this is no times for games, I'm trying to teach a lesson here!" The teacher fumed.

"Uh, sir I'm sure Casper is just… showing us his awesome ghost powers?" Ra piped up, shrugging helplessly. "I mean, it's only good that he does so, so we can… see?"

"Uh right." Mantha pipped in, shooting Ra a glare for sounding so unconvincing. "I mean, it's not like every monster can do these things, and you made Slither display his tail and all, so why can't Casper show how cool it is to be a ghost."

"Oh.. r-right, of course." Dr. Burns cleared his throat. "Casper, great demonstration." He said into nothing, having no clue where Casper was, until the ghost revealed himself again, standing a few feet away from where he was before.

"Oh big deal, he can disappear." Dummy Girl mocked coldly. "Not really impressive."

"What's impressive is how your mouth continues to run. When does your battery die?" Ra groaned loudly. "Or maybe you're constantly pulling that dumb string on your back to keep your dumb mouth flapping, honestly you can create a tornado at this rate."

"Why I oughta knock you out- What?" She growled, looking at Slither who had placed his striped 'hand' on her shoulder to help control her. Slither leaned close to the dummy, whispering into her ear and effectively making her shut up, which only made Ra more suspicious. The students were all watching them, seeing the shade that was thrown around and in the end, they decided Ra had the best insults ever. Casper smiled gently at his mummy friend, thankful the attention was being drawn off him.

"Quiet!" Dr. Burns orders, smoke shooting from his nostrils. "Now then, to continue the lesson-" He was cut off by the school speakers, making the dragon angrily groan and shake his head.

"Attention all classes, please head to the main hall for an emergency announcement." A deflated Dash ordered, then hung up without even nothing to repeat the information.

"Well... Class dismissed, go on!" Dr. Burns angrily huffed, making a shooing motion to the students before he went back to his desk.

Casper hurried over to Thatch and flashed a smile as the vampire handed over his clothes. "Thank you so much, I was in too much of a rush." He tried to explain. Thatch just waved it off and started to gather his stuff.

"You were dying up there. Like a fish out of water."

"Hey, I wasn't that bad," Casper whined, earning an unimpressed look. "Well uh, I wasn't too bad considering I had no warning."

"There we go." Thatch smiled and nodded. "You did pretty well. Come on, I bet this announcement is going to be interesting."


	28. Kibosh In Charge

Chapter 28: Kibosh in charge

"Keep close." Thatch whispered, moving closer to the ghost. He didn't want to even get a foot away from Casper in the crowd of students. It was easy to get seperated, and Thatch was still on edge about Dummy Girl. Casper nodded, then glanced over to Ra and Mantha who were silently walking on his other side. Ra seemed pretty tired, again so he wasn't talking all that much.

"This has nothing to do with you two, does it?" Mantha muttered softly, cautiously looking around as they walked. Casper could see she was popping her finger on and off again, he really needed to ask why Mantha has been doing it alot as of late. Was it just a nervous tick or was that finger having trouble staying attached like the times her arms just refused to work? He really didn't want a repeat of that event. Casper couldn't answer her question either, making the zombie groan after a few silent moments. "Of course it is…"

The students all funneled into the main hall, whispering among made a point to pull Casper, Ra and Mantha to the front of the crowd so they could see. Normally Casper prefered hanging around the back, but Thatch liked being the center of the attention and getting the best seats for everything and anything. Casper found it amusing, if not a little bit annoying. Thatch always had to get his way.

Alder and Dash stood by the front doors, looking nervous as Kibosh floated beside them, his red stern eyes watching the students as they filed in. Kibosh was just watching, saying nothing to them. The students all fell silent under the gaze of Kibosh, a deadly hush falling upon the normally talkative students.

Casper kept close to Thatch's side, his gaze kept drifting from Kibosh to Ra and Mantha. He had no clue how to explain the situation, nor did he know what would really happen. He just kept silent like all the other students, though he knew he felt way more guilty than anyone else in the room. He caused this, but perhaps it was for the better good? But he didn't want to get another headmaster like Master Blister. That man was horrid.

"Students." Kibosh spoke in a commander tone, his voice filling the room. "And teachers." Casper glanced around and on the second floor he could see all the teachers standing around, even the cafeteria lady… monster had come. Casper could see the creature was upset because it was waving one of its long tenticales towards Alder, who was frowning and waving back in a childish manner.

Casper hadn't even noticed them at first, they were all so silent. "It has come to my attention this school needs some… major changes. So." Kibosh continued, clasping his hands together. "Alder and Dash are going on a long vacation." He put nicely. "And while they're gone, for however long that might be, I'll be running the school."

There was no cheering, no excitement. Just shock. Kibosh was going to run the school himself? Alder and Dash were going to be gone for who knew how long? Last time Alder and Dash were fired things did not go well at all. They could all remember the dreaded replacement that had ran the school like a military camp. Casper only hoped Kibosh knew he should be nice to the lunch lady.

Casper turned to Thatch, who uncomfortably shifted around, looking down at the floor as h tried to control his inner guilt. "Thatch," Casper whispered softly, pulling on the vampire gently. Thatch softly hissed in return, even if he couldn't meet the ghost's gaze..

"Shh, Casper, we did nothing wrong." He tried to assure the ghost. "They had this coming. They tried to stop… us." He almost whined, his shoulders slumping down helplessly. It was clear the vampire was feeling terribly guilty despite his words. Casper's guilt melted away and he nodded, trying to be strong for himself and Thatch. Alder and Dash tried to get between them. Thatch only exposed them for their ridiculous rules and made up bull. There was only one small lie, and that was only to his mom to help give her that little push to call Kibosh. They did nothing wrong. This was surely for the better!

"Well then," Kibosh looked around the terribly silent group of students. "I'll be monitoring for the first day or so to see how this school runs, and if needed I'll adjust things to make sure this school can offer the best scaring education possible!" He decided firmly. The students generally murmured and gave a weak applause to their new headmaster, truly at a loss for what to do. Cheer? Smile? Weren't they supposed to be mean and growl? But surely growling and showing disapproval to Kibosh was not a wise thing to do.

"Goodbye students!" Alder dumbly waved with a big smile. Dash did not look impressed in the slightest. "I'll see you after our vacation!"

"We're not going on vacation you dunce." Dash whispered harshly. Dash then grabbed their suitcase and the former headmasters left, Dash angrily bickering at Alder all the way out. Kibosh quickly shut the doors behind them. They certainly weren't welcomed here anymore.

"Um… Back to class, announcement over!" Kibosh boomed. The students were really slow to leave. They kept glancing at the green ghost, probably pondering if this was a dream or not. As Casper started to lead with his friends he could just feel Ra and Mantha staring at him. "I'll answer questions, promise." He whispered softly to them. Ra softly huffed, rolling his eyes but accepted the fact he'll have to wait. Mantha did not seem that calm and decided to press for answers right away.

"Casper, what did you do?" She asked in a demanding tone, grabbing the ghost's wrist just to assure she had his attention.

"Hey lay off, he's innocent." Thatch frowned. "I did this, not him." He said, almost as if he was scolding the zombie. "Now shut up." He hissed rudely. Casper gently pulled on the vampire, looking at him with disapproval. He liked Thatch's protection, the love and care he received was great; but Mantha and Ra didn't need to be treated so. Thatch just had to relax and realize they were there for him first after all.

"Thatch lay off, she was only asking. She has a right to know." Casper reminded gently. "We'll talk at dinner, lets just survive our classes." He firmly decided. Thatch seemed annoyed, but he wasn't fussing much anymore, just keeping right by Casper's side. It was honestly a relief Casper was able to control the vampire so well. The ghost only hoped he could keep this control or something bad might happen at this rate. Sometimes he wishes he had that magical power his mom had to hush the vampire with a single motion. That would be handy.

Dinner was awkward and silent. Hell, all their classes had been just like this as well. With Kibosh randomly popping in and out none of the students knew how to interact with each other. The teachers were also having heart attacks every time the green ghost decided to just, show up. Ms. Heady nearly fell off her table when Kibosh randomly popped in, giving the severed head a heart attack, if that was possible. Wolfie had managed to catch the orb she was in right before she hit the floor, thank goodness Wolfie was always restless in his seat. Kibosh quickly decided to never just fly in through the chalkboards after that.

It was certainly a bit of a mess but Casper was just pleased they survived until dinner. As they all settled at their normal table Casper noted once more that Thatch hadn't bothered to grab a tray, instead he was munching on those dumb blood worm candies instead of actual food.

"So…" Mantha started out slowly, poking her food boredly as she watched the blue-eyed ghost. "Casper, what happened?" She carefully questioned, her eyes darting around nervously for any sign of Kibosh.

"Yeah, where were you two this morning? I looked everywhere." Ra crossed his arms grumpily.

"If you opened my coffin, I will bite you."

"I had to look." Ra defended quickly. "Not my fault you sleep in some dumb coffin."

"And you sleep in a sarcophagus. Stop fighting." Mantha put an end to that right away. Casper flashed her a relieved smile. As always Mantha knew how to help him. Ra and Thatch angrily glared at each other, but after a moment the vampire actually backed down with a huff, just munching on his bag of candy.

"Anyways, as Ra meant to say was we couldn't find you this morning. What happened?" She kindly pressed on.

"Alder and Dash took us to their office," Casper willingly answered. "They wanted to get us in trouble, blame us for all the fighting. They said the garlic and Blood Blossom was our fault."

"Excusemewhat?" Ra mumbled through a mouthful of food. Mantha looked grossed out and covered Ra's mouth herself just to save everyone the torture of Ra and his horrible manners.

"Gross Ra, chew with your mouth shut." She scolded. Ra groaned and quickly swallowed before pushing Mantha's hand away.

"Whatever, anyways they tried to blame you two for being attacked?"

"It was dumb." Thatch grumbled softly, and Casper nodded.

"Yeah, it kinda was. But it's fine now. Kibosh is in control." Casper tried to comfort his friends. He hated seeing that distressed look upon their faces. He didn't want them to stress out. Surely this was for the better good of all students! They didn't have to follow the two headed monster's dumb rules anymore.

"How? How did you get out of trouble… Is that why Kibosh is taking over now?" Mantha sighed heavily. "What did you two do?"

"I said it was just me… And for what I did… My mom got mad." Thatch shrugged, finishing the bag of candy with a pout. When he looked up only then did he see the puzzled look of Ra and Mantha. "Er, what? What's with that look?"

"Your mom got mad… So Kibosh is here?"

"Well a lot sorta happened," Thatch muttered and looked over to Casper for some help, which the ghost was more than happy to give.

"They were threatening to expel us or call our families so… Thatch called them out and told them to call his mom. And when they did, his mom… Well I hate to say it but she isn't friendly."

"Course she's not. She's a vampire like me." Thatch proudly stated, puffing his chest out before he pulled out yet another bag of candy from the inside of his cloak. Honestly that thing might as well be magic. Casper never found any pockets in his cloaks but Thatch seemed to be able to just hide things in his cloak. There had to be a secret pocket.

"Yes… right." Casper muttered. Mantha raised a brow, clearly having a dozen more questions. "Ok well uh. His mom got mad when there was no real rules we broke, and when Thatch told her we had been attacked she kinda… went off on Alder and Dash. Threatening to uh…"

"Drink their blood, but like she said- their blood is so gross a werewolf wouldn't touch it." Thatch recited off without flinching. "Mom said she could run a better school, a few more things, then she got mad and hung up on them to call Kibosh."

"Your mom called Kibosh?" Ra leaned forward, his jaw slacked in shock.

"Whoa Thatch, your mom sounds so… so…"

"Awesome? Astonishing? Magnificent? Badass? Amazing?" Thatch grinned widely. "I know she is." Casper was trying his best not to giggle. Such a momma's boy. "My mom is extraordinary… Very intimidating as well." Thatch noted calmly, nodding to himself as he was utterly assured his mom was the best thing in the world and everyone had to agree with him. He popped another bloodworm in his mouth, swinging his legs under him like a happy child.

"Why don't we ever hear about her?" Ra asked. "Like, in the school textbooks or something?"

"Those textbooks are so outdated." Thatch muttered. "If they were to be rewritten I bet my dad would be in it," he almost whispered with a heavy sigh.

"Really? What did your dad do?" Mantha questioned. Thatch shook his head at this point and leaned back. When Thatch didn't answer Mantha turned to Casper, who quickly shook his head.

"I won't make him talk." Casper said firmly. "Let's not focus on the now anyways. Kibosh is here and he said he might change some things."

"Maybe we'll get better lunch?" Ra offered as he poked his food, in which the food growled at him. "We better get better lunch."

"Can you stop thinking about food? Think about the new books we could get! Updated textbooks and everything!" Mantha said excitedly. "Maybe I should give some suggestions to Kibosh."

Casper weakly smiled and nodded. "That would be nice. My book is falling apart, plus maybe with some updated books we can start learning some useful things about fleshies, like how they don't got monkeys in their brains or that sweat isn't called Scare Juice."

"That, would be amazing." Mantha laughed softly. "Honestly what a joke. Who got these books anyways?"

"I bet it was Alder." Ra muttered.

"Is Alder smart enough to order books?" Thatch smirked.

"... Yeah you're right." Ra snorted. "No way." The two former enemies started to laugh together, and Casper felt so relieved. This was all for the better, he had to keep reminding himself. Everything would be ok, they all had eachother, hold up. Where's Slither?

Casper raised his gaze from the table, and even as his eyes scanned the large room he couldn't see Slither, he didn't even see Dummy Girl. "This isn't good." he mumbled, instantly catching the attention of his friends. They followed his gaze and Casper could hear Thatch's low hiss.

"Where are they?" Thatch growled, moving to stand up. Casper quickly grabbed him by his cloak and gently pulled him back down, shaking his head. "What? I need to find Slither."

"I'll look, I can't get caught." Casper spoke softly as he took Thatch's hand in his own. "I'll go take a look around. I'll see you guys soon-"

"Wait, it's Friday. Slither is at the nurse getting checked out." Thatch visibly relaxed, sighing heavily. "I can't believe I forgot that."

"Whoa dude, it's already Friday. Time flies." Ra mumbled softly, looking to Mantha. "That's so cool, it's finally the weekend. I really need some more sleep."

"Yeah, time flies when a former friend is trying to hurt us." Thatch grumbled, utterly deflating the mummy's mojo. Thatch sighed heavily, looking annoyed as he drummed his fingers on the table. "Normally I take Slither to the nurse… But Dummy Girl is probably with him." Thatch moodily mumbled. Casper's eyes narrowed, watching the vampire carefully. Something was… really off about Thatch. Casper looked to Ra and Mantha, and neither of them showed any signs of noticing.

"I'm… I'll be back." Casper mumbled and stood up. Thatch looked up and grabbed the ghost's wrist quickly, preventing Casper from leaving his side. As Casper looked down at the vampire he could see Thatch's eyes just pleading for Casper to stay.

"Where you going?" He demandingly asked. "Can't you stay here?" He shifted in his seat, facing Casper more.

"I uh.. I forgot my backpack." Casper muttered the lie. It felt horrible yo lie, but he needed to go.

"I'll go with you." Thatch eagerly said and started to stand.

"I'm fine, Thatch." Casper said firmly, pulling his hand away and to his surprise he found it easy to do so. Thatch's hold was oddly weak. "Stay with Ra and Mantha." He tried to order, then felt so guilty when he saw the sad violet eyes watching him. Thatch looked so hurt now. "I'm fine Thatch, I'll be back soon." He said comfortingly. He leaned down, kissing the vampire's cheek before he walked away. It still felt awful, Thatch was awfully clingy and it was almost concerning. Maybe Slither had some answers to the vampire's behavior. Honestly he was just grateful Thatch stayed put like he wanted.


	29. The Camera

Chapter 29: The camera

Casper hurried down the hall, the sound of his own shoes setting him on edge. He was tempted to faze out of his clothes so he could sneak around and find Slither easier, but it seems that wasn't needed yet. No one was in the halls anyways. As he turned the corner to the nurse's office he saw the door open, the bright light of the office flooding into the halls, stopping right before Casper's feet. He quickly ducked right back around the corner, his back pressed against the cold stone wall. He carefully listened and he heard the oh too familiar sound of wood hitting stone, then if he listened closely, he could barely hear the sound of fabric dragging. Slither's robe.

Casper held his breath, even if it wasn't needed and carefully peered around the corner to see the two. The nurse's office door had shut behind them, leaving them in the normal dim light of Scare School.

The snake-like monster was looking pretty tired, having to rely on Dummy Girl to help him along. He was moving slower than usual, and Casper could see, even if his purple robes hid it, his tail movements were sluggish but careful, as if he was trying not to move a certain spot of his tail. "Okay you big dummy," Dummy Girl started in her horrid voice, "let's get you to bed early. Honestly, I don't even think that check-up was so bad." She easily said, not even noticing Slither's discomfort.

"She removed scales." Slither countered weakly, then just dropped the subject. He was too tired to deal with her attitude, and he was still under cover so it wasn't like he could actively argue with her, not even a little bit. "T-thank you for helping me." He mumbled after a moment, even if he truly didn't mean it. In the short time, Casper has actually gotten to know Slither he could tell when Slither was lying or not. Seems Dummy Girl didn't bother to get to know her so-called friends at all! The slightest change in Slither's facial expressions could change the meaning of his words in crazy ways.

"Well, of course, you need me." She said confidently, turning her nose up snootily. "We're friends and I need to make sure you're in tiptop shape! After all, I'm a kind generous person to my friends," she claimed with utterly no truth to back it up. "Now are you ready?"

"For the plan," Slither whispered softly, his eye nervously darting around the wall as they slowly made their way down. It was then Casper noticed they were getting close, but he wanted to hear more. He needed to know. As much as he wanted to trust Slither, Slither was Thatch's friend. Would Slither really keep his word and tell them? Was he being too distrustful…?

"Yes." The puppet giggled happily. Her laugh made Casper's gut twist. Plan? What plan? He had to move back now, they were coming his way. The ghost quickly looked around and spotted a door just behind him. He floated off the ground and quickly opened the door, relieved to find it unlocked. He ducked into the classroom, keeping the door cracked open so he could watch and hear what was going on. He no longer felt guilty about leaving the sad vampire, he needed to hear this. It was important and for the betterment of their relationship.

"Even with Kibosh, it won't change?" Slither mumbled softly.

"Course not. And we're doing it tonight." Dummy Girl decided firmly, looking ever so excited. It made Casper's gut turn into a ball of knots.

"But we agreed next week-"

"Silence… now shush, oh shush you sleepy snake." She said in a mocking motherly tone, placing her hand over Slither's mouth. "You're going to go rest in bed, and when it's time I'll come wake you," she said simply. "Everything will go according to plan, correct?" Slither nodded weakly and sighed, not bothering to say a word in protest. He just looked too tired to.

"I'll get everything ready."

"Good, you know Slither, you bring a great comfort to me," Dummy Girl started to say. Casper was having trouble hearing, they were out of his sight now. He sighed, looking down at his clothes before he regrettably fazed out of them and turned invisible. He just had to hear this plan! The ghost quickly flew after Dummy Girl and Slither but kept a safe distance back. Casper must have missed part of the conversation, which was annoying but he knew what they were saying anyway.

"I'm glad you trust me-"

"Well of course. If I didn't you know what would happen." She said happily, her arms wrapped around Slither's. It would be cute, looking like she was snuggled up to his side as if they were dating; but Slither's depressed, tired eyes told a different story. "Now, get," she ordered coldly as they came in front of the boy's dorm. "Tomorrow Casper and Thatch will be gone."

"All according to plan." Slither loyalty mumbled as he went into the boy's dorm, just keeping his gaze low. The large wooden door shut behind Slither silently and Casper watched the deranged sister of Pinocchio. Casper glared at Dummy Girl, safe and unseen. The puppet was laughing, looking ever so pleased with herself as she went into the girl's dorm. Casper hesitated for a few moments, debating whether to get his friends or not, then flew through the door into the boy's dorm. He could see Slither just climbing into his bed, curling up and letting his eyes shut. Casper felt bad, but he couldn't let Slither rest. He needed answers. The ghost turned visible and landed beside Slither's bed, resting a hand on his shoulder.

The gray monster opened his eyes and looked up at Casper, then wordlessly he sat up with a sigh as if he had been expecting to be woken up at any time, of course. "You're here early." He muttered weakly. Slither adjusted himself on the bed and Casper could see Slither's robes slide off his tail as the snake monster wrapped his tail under him like an extra cushion to rest upon, though he was treating a certain spot still hidden under the purple cloth very carefully. Casper had a feeling he didn't want to see that spot.

"We need to talk." Casper frowned, trying to keep firm with the much more scary, but very gloomy and tired monster. He wanted to take charge, but he had a feeling even if he was as useful as a sleepy Ra right now Slither would still just say anything, seeing as that was what Slither's job was.

"We do…" Slither duly agreed, the end of his tail shaking briefly, making that threatening rattling sound. Casper naturally flinched, but he understood Slither mostly did it when he was distressed or emotional. "It's happening tonight. Dummy Girl is going to get you and Thatch banished." Slither mumbled tiredly. "She has evidence of you and Thatch being together."

"So? We're not afraid to hide it!" Casper puffed out his chest, much like Thatch so often did. Casper wanted to protect Thatch for once, not the other way around. It was his turn to take care of everything.

"You should be," Slither sighed tiredly but had an underlining understanding look in his gaze. "You don't get it. Yeah, most of the students get it, but the teachers, nor does Kibosh know. She has photo evidence of you two and she plans to expose it to them." Now that was a worry. Students had little power against other students, but the teachers could expel him, or banish him! And Kibosh… He was just… Kibosh! Oh, he was already missing Alder and Dash, if only Dummy Girl did this last night they could have handled this, but now it was too late and the two-headed headmaster was gone!

"How?" Casper asked, his chest tight with fear. "How did she get evidence?"

"Ra," Slither spoke in his normal monotone voice

"Ra wouldn't betray me," Casper said defensively, but his eyes naturally drifted over to Ra's sarcophagus. "He's my friend. He wouldn't…"

"Not in his normal state of mind," Slither said to comfort the ghost, resting his striped arms on Casper's shoulder, looking at the ghost's face carefully. "Anything Ra revealed was not of his own accord, he had no control over himself, Casper… Haven't you noticed it?"

"It…?"

"He's sleeping more than usual. He's always exhausted especially this past week. Dozing off in classes? Harder time waking up in the morning? When we're asleep Ra is awake." Slither almost whispered. His eyes kept darting to the door, careful, calculating. He didn't want to get caught. Too much was resting on telling Casper everything he learned.

"How do you know?"

"Dummy Girl told me… Casper, we're monsters learning our powers. You saw Ra, how he can relive any memory." Oh, now that was a problem. If Ra showed Dummy Girl his memories... but Ra would never betray them. Casper's expression said it all and Slither continued. "Ra was forced. As Ra found his ability, so did Dummy Girl. She's a puppet Casper. In some mockery of life she has the ability to control people like they are a puppet, and when she does so they have no memory of it ever happening if she wishes it." Slither revealed, his gaze dropping down quickly. He removed his arms from Casper's shoulders and rested back on his coils, his rattle shaking loudly as he nervously looked around them.

"That can't be right…"

"She has no power over stronger monsters, they can break her control but students like us are helpless… She can't control ghosts either. They have to have a physical body. That's why you're such a threat to her. You got me and Thatch away from her, and she can't stop you." Slither encouragingly said. "She won't do it around a lot of people, which is why she gets so annoyed when Thatch is always with you, because even with her powers she can't remove Thatch from you." Casper didn't know if that was a comfort or not. He felt terrible about leaving Thatch again, but he told the vampire to stay with Mantha and Ra. And as long as Ra was with Mantha and Thatch, all was ok. Until they got Dummy Girl under control they needed a buddy system.

"What can we do?" Casper asked, his shoulders slumping. It already seemed so impossible. He had no clue what to do, but Slither was watching him like it was the clearest thing to do.

"You're a ghost, take the camera she has, all the evidence is in it. Destroy it, then I will planted the Blood Blossom in her nightstand. Tell Kibosh you found more of it and the source. We'll get Dummy Girl in trouble. Casper you just got to get rid of that camera."

"Where is it?"

"With her." Slither muttered. Casper sighed heavily and looked away. Of course, where else would it be? He'll have to sneak into the girls dorm and steal it, then either just ruin the photos or just destroy the camera- he could do it in the incinerator! He'll just throw it in there and that'll be the end of it it all. Casper grinned widely, hope filling him. He could do it, he'll just have to be careful.

"I can do this," Casper whispered, almost to himself. Slither allowed a small smile to creep onto his face for a moment, before it was gone. Slither didn't like to display positive emotion for long periods of time.

"Do it, Casper, protect Thatch, please. Don't let my... brother be hurt." He begged. Casper nodded in determination, but deep down inside he wondered; why was he really doing this? His love for Thatch was a clear answer, but it felt selfish- as if the only reason he wanted to protect the vampire was just for himself. But, was there anything wrong with being selfish for just once? He wanted Thatch, he wanted the vampire just to himself, that big smile and his laughter filled him with joy. It felt horrid being so selfish about Thatch, but the vampire was his, and that vampire needed protection.

As Casper turned away from Slither he felt purely determined to protect his Thatch, his Bat-Boy. "Rest up Slither, you did a good job." He encouraged gently before he walked towards the door. Casper figured he might as well do it now, when there was little people around. As the ghost exited the boy's dorm he carefully pushed off the ground, floating in the air as he turned invisible. He went across the hall and simply fazed through the door, not even bothering to peer in first. He knew everyone was still at dinner, and only Dummy Girl could possibly be in the dorm.

He gave a quick glance around, noting it was the same as the boys dorm. Boring, gray, cold and a lot of creaky beds. His blue eyes snapped to Dummy Girl, who was sitting on her bed, fiddling with the camera. He had silently hoped she would have left, but luck was not on his side.

The ghost glared and flew over, watching Dummy Girl as she hummed ever so happily, cleaning the lense of her camera. Of course she had to to have it… With it directly in her hands there was nothing Casper could do to get it. He'll have to distract her. He glanced around the room, and the only thing his eyes landed on was the exit he just came from. So, he flew over to the large wooden door and knock loudly. He then watched as Dummy Girl growled, placing the camera under her bed before she jumped up and marched over to the door angrily to open it. Casper swiftly used this time to fly over to the bed, grabbing the camera and lifting it. He had to be careful not to move the camera when she was looking now. He kept his eyes on Dummy Girl as she peered into the hall, stomping her foot angrily when no one was actually at the door. Casper carefully started to fly, going high up near the ceiling. No one ever looks up when they're searching for something.

He stayed near the walls, his heart pounding in his chest as Dummy Girl slammed the door and marched over to her bed, only to freeze when her camera was missing. Casper could see her jaw hang open on her hinges, then she started to search. She ripped the blankets and pillow off her bed, flipped the mattress and starting to look all over the floor. All the while Casper floated towards the door, holding the camera to his chest. He noticed it had one of those handy straps so he placed it around his neck so he could use his arms.

He was so close… Once Casper was over the door he started to float down. He needed to open the dumb door to get the camera out. Dummy Girl growled angrily, kicking her pillow to the center of the room. Then, as she glared at her pillow she noticed her camera, which was strangely floating.

"Casper!" She screeched. Casper really thought it was mercy Dummy Girl wasn't a banshee. He quickly let himself be seen, no use hiding it.

"You're not getting away with this!" He said bravely, quickly opening the door and flying out, going straight into the boys dorm. He pushed the boys dorm doors quickly and rushed in, and as he turned to shut them he saw Dummy Girl charging right for him. Casper quickly grabbed the door and started to push, but the evil puppet got her hand through, desperately trying to grab the camera.

"Give it! Give it back you dumb ghost! you'll pay! GIVE IT!" She screamed. Casper flinched at her yelling, her voice was enough to make anyone's ears bleed. Then her wooden hands grabbed hold of the camera and started to pull it. Casper winced, the strap yanking against his neck. He quickly grabbed hold of the camera to ease the pressure off his neck while he also placed his feet on the door, keeping it from opening anymore.

"You're not going to stop us! Give up Dummy Girl." Casper yelled. "You leave me, Thatch and all my friends alone! You're done, you got no one!" Casper snapped, tugging on the camera harshly. Dummy Girl almost lost her grip, but through the opened doors he saw her smiling.

"I'm not alone. Slither!" She yelled loudly. "Get the camera, stop Casper!" She ordered. When Casper turns his head he saw Slither standing there, woken from his uneasy and very brief sleep. Slither watched what was before him, then went over, letting his long striped arms wrap around the camera. "Yes Slither, yes take it!" Dummy Girl yelled, laughing as she watched. "Open this dumb door as well!"

Slither pulled the camera away from the door, making Dummy Girl lose her grip, and he also pulled so hard Casper was pulled back, his feet off the door to let it open. Dummy Girl quickly shoved the door and rushed in, eager to cheer along the much stronger monster.

Casper held onto the camera tightly, his eyes wide as he looked up at Slither. For a brief moment, he thought Slither was going to take the camera from him. The gray monster was watching Casper carefully, then his eyes drifted down the the camera. For a moment Slither actually looked confused, but then Slither slowly unwrapped his arms from around the object and turned to Dummy Girl, hissing distastefully at her.

"Out." He ordered back. At Dummy Girl's plain confusion Slither actually dashed forward- this was the first time Casper ever saw Slither move fast. It was terrifying. His hidden snake half was pure muscle after all, and when he wanted clearly he could book it. Casper now realized why Slither always moved in a slow sluggish manner, if he went fast it would surely give someone a heart attack.

Slither towered over the much smaller puppet, hissing in her face, his forked tongue briefly flicking out. "Get out!" He yelled in her face. Casper flinched, his eyes wide in shock as Slither actually raised his voice. It trembled a bit with the effort, but that didn't make it any less frightening when the pale monster showed his sharp fangs, probably something he learned to do from Thatch. When she refuse to step back, whether in shock or stubbornness he wrapped his arms around her body, tightly wrapping her up from shoulders all the way down to her ankles. He lifted her off the ground, over his head as he slithered out of the dorm and out into the hallway. He glanced up and down the empty halls, then tossed the wooden monster to the stone floor as if she was nothing but a sack of dirty laundry. He stopped and listened to the satisfying sound of wood hitting against stone, along with her yells of betray and general pain. Slither watched her, his eyes narrowing. He took note that she was not broken, no snapped limbs or injures. Slither was mad, but he had a feeling Thatch would be displeased if he found out he'd broken Dummy Girl. But since she wasn't, then Slither had nothing to worry about.

So, without a single worry or a fuck given, the snake monster tuned his nose up and slithered back into the boys dorm, slamming the doors behind himself with his extendable arms just to make it clear that Dummy Girl wouldn't be getting her dumb camera back.

Casper was just floating there, slack jawed and partly curled around the camera in a protective manner, just hovering a bit off the ground. He was a bit speechless, having seen Slither actually try to be scary, and so aggressive as well was terrifying. But, they were monsters and Casper just had to assume he'll have to get use to this. He knew as they grew each student would only get more and more scarier.

"Slither you…"

"You did it," Slither spoke in his soft, gloomy voice as if he did not lift up a fellow monster and throw them halfway down the hall. "You got the camera." He offered a small smile. Casper nodded, slowly uncurling and letting his feet touch the cold stone floor. He looked down at the camera, deeply frowning. He needed to destroy this but, he also wanted to see what was on it. Surely she couldn't have gotten much out of Ra, right? Slither was watching Casper's expression, seeming to understand his need for knowledge. "Keep it. As long as she doesn't have it, what's the harm?" Slither innocently asked. "She's powerless. She has no friends, no Blood Blossom, no camera. We're safe." He said oh so willingly to the ghost. Casper just felt himself smile as he watched the gray monster.

"Slither, thank you for being my friend." The friendly ghost said happily. Slither's gray face turned a few shades pink and he quickly looked down, his hair hiding his face like a curtain, as always. It was cute, and Casper could finally see why Thatch was so fond of Slither. "You must be tired," Casper started, "you should go back to sleep. The others will be finishing with dinner by now." He figured everyone was slower because it was a Friday. Wow, a whole week back from school from the weekend at Thatch's place. So much had changed.

"I want to see Thatch," Slither muttered as he glanced towards the door. Casper was able to see the worry so he quickly decided to remedy that.

"Oh he's fine I'm sure. He's with Ra and Mantha, remember? I'm sure the three of them are heading back here right now." He said positively. "I bet you're hungry, you didn't eat dinner did you?" Slither shook his head no so Casper floated over to Thatch's coffin. "I'm sure Thatch won't mind if you eat some of his blood worms, just a small snack before bed?" He offered.

Slither tore his eyes away from the door and followed Casper over to the coffin, watching as the ghost opened one of the many hidden drawers. This one was stuffed with all of Thatch's hidden snacks. Casper frowned a bit, a bit confused. When Thatch showed him this drawer it was stuffed with candy, and now it…was still utterly stuffed. Maybe Thatch just wasn't in the mood for candy lately? But then again, the vampire wasn't eating at all either. Casper grabbed a bag anyways and handed it over to Slither.

"Hey Slither? How often does Thatch need to eat?" Casper innocently asked as he sat on top of the closed coffin, resting the camera in his lap. Slither was struggling to open the bag of candy due to the fact he had no hands, and Casper quickly took the bag back and opened it as if he was taking care of a young child. He handed the now opened bag of candy back to Slither, who contently popped a few pieces in his mouth before he answered the ghost.

"As a living vampire he needs to eat every 2 to three days if it's normal food, and if it's blood every 3 to 4." Slither said ever so simply. Clearly Slither had memorized Thatch's health needs. "He also sleeps lightly and generally only needs 5 hours of sleep to function, but can function off of 2, though it makes him really cranky and aggressive."

"Oh…" Casper deflated. "Slither… I don't think Thatch has been eating," the ghost mumbled softly. He watched Slither, gadging his reaction. Much to his surprise Slither was nodding in agreement.

"I noticed too, I just haven't had time to force him to eat, not with everything else going on… He's going to fall ill very soon, I can tell." Slither muttered softly.

"How so?" Casper frowned deeply. "What's going on? What'll happen?"

"The symptoms are already showing. He's sleeping heavier, he has more mood swings going between peaceful to aggressive, but actually rarely getting into fights anymore." Slither started to list off as he munched on the candy. "I've noticed it, he's ok with Ra for one moment then ready to fight the next, but he always backs down."

"I thought he was just trying to get better." Casper mumbled, feeling a bit put down. So all that progress he thought he had was Thatch being sick?

"He is, but such extreme emotions might not be what it seems." Slither muttered in thought, the end of his tail rattling, but it was almost completely silenced by the weighted robes the serpent wore. "Haven't you noticed he's sleeping heavier? Like the other night when we were talking. I was actually up and moving for a while before I shut the door on my tail, and only then he woke up?" Slither frowned deeply. "That's not normal."

"Oh you're right. A bit ago I was sleeping in Thatch's coffin." He started, and at Slither's distrustful look Casper held up his hands. "Only sleeping." He defended quickly to defuse the over protective snake. "I woke up before him, even moved around and he didn't wake up."

"Exactly, that's not like Thatch." Slither sighed, finishing the bag of gummies. "It happens everytime. He gets a taste of home and he gets homesick all over again."

"He's homesick?" Casper frowned. Slither just nodded, stretching tiredly. The ghost briefly glanced towards the clock. Any moment now everyone would be returning. "We'll have to make sure Thatch eats tomorrow then." He said stubbornly as he slid off the top of Thatch's coffin. "Head off to bed Slither, I'll take care of Thatch." He patted the monster's shoulder, guiding him back to bed where he tucked the tired monster in. Slither fell right asleep, his arms coiled around his pillow, cuddling it as he fell asleep. Casper sighed happily, watching Slither contently for a moment before he went back to Thatch's coffin. Hiding the camera in here was probably the best thing he could do. As he opened the lid he heard the doors open. He could hear several sets of footsteps as all the students were returning from dinner. Casper quickly removed the strap from around his neck and placed the camera just in the coffin and climbed in, shutting the lid behind himself.

He didn't want to be bothered, nor did he want anyone to see he had the camera. The ghost boy scooted around, finding that hidden pin in the mattress and pulling it to reveal Thatch's secret drawer, filled with all sorts of colorful ducks. Casper grabbed the camera, carefully setting it on and moving the ducks so the camera was half buried in the colorful rubber animals. He then shut the lid and settled down on the mattress, figuring he could just stay here and wait for the vampire anyways. He felt like sleeping beside Thatch, knowing now that they were safe from Dummy Girl's attacks.

As Casper started to doze off in the coffin he heard the lid open, light shining in for a few brief moments as Thatch slipped in, carefully moving around the sleepy ghost as if this was just the most natural thing to do. Casper adjusted a bit as the vampire laid down beside him, pulling the ghost to his chest in a protective manner. No words were exchanged, when Casper opened his eyes he could see the vampire already just settling down to sleep, looking far too tired than he ever should. The ghost frowned, and out of instinct he wrapped his transparent arms around the vampire in a hug, acting like he was just cuddling close. In truth he was comparing his size to Thatch, and Casper could easily tell the vampire was rapidly losing weight.

Casper moved his hands around, carefully feeling along Thatch's side. The vampire was much skinnier than before, and that only confused the ghost. How was Thatch getting skinny so fast? Sure the vampire wasn't eating but… did vampires need to eat more in general to other monsters or humans? Casper recalled Jimmy saying humans can go 3 days without water, and a whole 3 weeks without food. If one thought about it that way then Thatch really had to eat a lot, maybe that's why he's always eating candy, he's constantly got the munchies! Casper frowned deeply, already feeling angry with the vampire. How dare Thatch not take care of himself! If Thatch didn't eat tomorrow Casper would take Thatch to the nurse, or worse… He would call Thatch's mother.

But for now he'll let the exhausted vampire sleep. Casper nuzzled close, watching Thatch's steady breathing, and just to make sure he wasn't imagining anything Casper purposely pushed on Thatch's chest, gently shaking him. All he got was a whine and Thatch annoyingly swatting at Casper a bit before he settled right back down. Casper watched him angrily, but tried to understand. Thatch was home sick. That's all… Can't get mad at that… Damn it Thatch.


	30. It's Not Your Fault, Ra

Chapter 30 : It's not your fault, Ra

Casper was the first to wake up when he heard all the alarms going off outside the coffin. The sound was muffled by the wood, but loud enough to hear anyways. The ghost stretched out, humming after his good night's sleep. He was feeling pretty good- he got the camera, they were safe, oh but there was the issue of Thatch. That could be fixed though. He'll just convince Thatch to eat this morning at breakfast. Casper sweetly smiled, kissing the vampire's forehead to gently wake him.

"Wake up, come on." He whispered pleasantly, brushing the vampire's multicolored hair away from his face. Thatch groaned softly, fussily turning away from Casper, but the ghost was just as stubborn. Casper sat up, pushing the lid up so light flooded in, making the vampire angrily hiss- not like Casper cared. He couldn't be bitten so Thatch's anger, especially right now did not scare him in the slightest. "Come on now, we need to go get breakfast." He stated firmly, giving Thatch one more kiss before he climbed out of the coffin, sighing happily as he stretched out. It felt nice, surely today would be perfect!

"Food later, sleep…" Thatch mumbled, pulling his cloak over his face.

"You're such a child." Casper huffed. "Come on you're like what, one-hundred years old?"

"One-hundred and seventy-fucking-one, thank you very much." He groaned, lifting his head up to look at the grinning ghost. "Ok fine, fine, I'm up, I'm up." He yawned and climbed out. The vampire sluggishly started to get some clean clothes for the day as Casper happily flew over to Ra's sarcophagus, poking his head in.

"You too Ra, time to get up." He encourages gently. The mummy was much more easy to handle today, and in fact, Ra woke up rather easily. The brown-eyed monster just stretched out, cracking his back before he sat up a bit. He started to retighten his bandages, still looking half asleep, but he was up.

"I don't think I'll ever stop unraveling," He muttered tiredly. Casper just smiled and went ahead and fazed through the stone, sitting in the sarcophagus with Ra as he watched the mummy fuss over his bandages.

"Maybe if you stopped unwrapping them to climb on them this won't happen," Casper easily offered. It made sense to Casper. Ra poutily shot him a disapproving look.

"I was unraveling before I started to use them as ropes, remember? It's why I was sent to Scare School… Along with being 'too nice'." He rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Dad says I'll learn to stop this, and I hope so." He grumbled lightly, tying the bandages tight. "Where'd you go last night? You didn't go looking for your bag, did you?"

"No, I didn't… I can't wait to tell you guys." Casper perked up, grinning widely. "Now come on and get up. I need to tell everyone at breakfast." He decided happily and flew out, just jumping up through the lid. Thatch was just returning back to the dorm, having had gone to the bathroom to brush his fangs and change into his clean clothes. Slither was out of bed as well, just resting beside Thatch's coffin and fussily dusting it off a bit. What a perfect morning.

Casper went over to Thatch, briefly circling him as he hovered, earning such an odd look from the grumpy vampire. "The hell you doing Casper? Stop flying." He demanded lightly, taking the ghost's hand and pulling him down gently. Casper huffed but allowed his feet to touch the floor now. "What was that about? You're far to giddy this morning."

"Just making sure you're ok," Casper spoke softly, offering a kind smile. "Plus seeing if you did your hair right." He teased, making the vampire instinctually reach up to feel his hair. Casper softly laughed and hugged the vampire tightly. "Come on, let's go eat." He decided as Ra walked his dumb bandaged butt over.

Thatch made a motion and Slither slowly came over, as gloomy looking as always. Casper didn't let that even bug him for a moment. He opened the dorm doors and joyfully pulled the vampire along. Mantha was in the hall, waiting as she often did for her friends. She closed her book and looked up, kindly smiling. "There you are," she laughed softly when she saw Thatch's utterly annoyed look, but he was completely unable to protest against Casper. It was such a sight.

"Let's go eat," Ra muttered and started to head right to the cafeteria as he stretched. And so the small group followed the mummy, and as they got their trays Casper angrily watched as Thatch skipped out on his, so Casper got two. He would make the vampire eat today! They all sat at their now normal table with their newly normalized seating pattern. Casper placed his spare tray of food in front of the vampire, and just as Casper thought the vampire made a bit of a face, though he tried to hide it.

Casper started to eat his breakfast while watching Thatch. The vampire 'innocently' pushed the tray away from himself, and Casper reached over and pushed it right back. At this point, Thatch turned to look at Casper, and the ghost met his eyes evenly as he frowned. "You need to eat." He puffed out his chest, a little thing he had observed Thatch always do. The vampire huffed softly.

"Not hungry."

"You haven't eaten all week."

"That's not true."

"Yes, it is," Slither pipped in.

"Slither don't get involved!"

"Don't yell at him, Thatch. You need to eat." Casper scolded. "You're getting skinnier, you're so unhealthy right now. Thatch if you don't eat I'll…"

"You'll what?" The vampire cockily remarked.

"I'll call your mother, simple." Casper sat up a bit straighter. "I'll call her and tell her you're refusing to eat and that you've clearly fallen ill. Look at you!"

"Casper, I'm fine." The vampire defended, and in the oh so empty cafeteria they heard Thatch's stomach let out a loud groan of hunger. The vampire flushed deeply, wrapping his arms around his stomach and looking quite embarrassed.

"Okay look, I dunno what's going on," Ra slowly started. "But you're gonna eat, even if we gotta hold you down and feed you ourselves." He decided purely because Casper wanted the vampire to eat. Anything Casper wanted Ra wanted to help with.

"I'll hold him." Slither offered, already making to stand when Ra quickly grabbed the serpent.

"Whoa uh, not too eager there Slither. Let's give him a chance to actually eat on his own." Ra said simply, getting Slither to sit back down. Slither looked mildly annoyed and intensely watched the living vampire, who wasn't looking all that happy with the current situation.

"Come on Thatch, you need to eat," Casper spoke in a softer tone. "Listen… Slither told me why you're like this, and I understand. But you need to eat, please."

"... For you." The vampire finally submitted. Casper smiled happily and leaned against Thatch's side, rather pleased with himself as the vampire finally picked up a fork and started to eat for the first time that whole week. Slither visibly relaxed and started to eat his own food, seeming content now that Casper was controlling Thatch.

Casper was just pleased to see the vampire eat. Casper slowly sat up and started to eat his own breakfast, barely noticing as the other students started to come in for breakfast. A lot of them liked to be a bit slower on the weekends, which was understandable.

Casper didn't see Dummy Girl enter, but why should he care? The camera was hidden in a spot where it'll never be found. Casper could tell by Mantha's side eye she was wondering why Slither was back and sitting with the group. Ah, he better tell them now.

"So, I lied last night." Casper started off softly, poking at his breakfast with his fork. "I'm sorry I lied Thatch, but I actually left to go find Slither. I wanted to see what he had found out while undercover. He did a lot of good work." Casper said happily, looking over at the snake-monster. "Honestly Slither you're a lifesaver. And like I told you before, you're very brave."

Slither looked like a deer in headlights and started to sink down in his seat out of embarrassment, as per usual. "Don't," was the only thing he whispered as he used his striped arms to cover his face in a childish manner. It was crazy how such a terrifying monster could also be so… mellow and introverted. It made him wonder what Slither would be like if he broke out of his shell and became a monster like he was meant to be.

But as much as Casper wanted to praise Slither, he had to tell them what happened. "Dummy Girl had evidence of me and Thatch being together, and planned to put pictures all over the school so the teachers and Kibosh could see." Casper's gaze dropped down. Of course, he didn't mind their relationship being public, but the adults would never understand. They had to keep it all a secret. "So last night I stole her camera-"

"How'd she get pictures anyways?" Mantha frowned deeply, leaning forward. "And what were the pictures of?"

"I... Please hold onto that thought Mantha," the ghost directed gently. "I'll explain that afterward. So uh, I stole Dummy Girl's camera last night, but she caught me in the act. In our struggle, Slither spotted us and came over to help. He got Dummy Girl to let go of the camera, then he lifted her in the air above his head and just tossed her down the hall!" Casper excitedly explained. "It was terrifying but so amazing." Casper smiled and looked at Slither, who had sunken down more. "The camera is currently hidden in Thatch's coffin, in that... Spot, Thatch." Casper looked at the vampire, who frowned deeply but gave an understanding nod.

"It's safe then." He said confidently. He was halfway done with his breakfast as well, which pleased the blue-eyed ghost. "She'll never find it. We're safe… We don't have to worry about her again, right?" He chuckled, his eyes narrowing as his gaze went back to his old table, which was utterly empty. No Mosshead. No Dummy Girl, not even Harpy. And of course, Slither was with them. "She has no friends, no backups. She's alone, helpless-"

"She's not." Casper whimpered softly, grabbing the vampire's sleeve to get his attention. "She… She is such a danger, to all of you still. Ra discovered his powers, right?"

"Well, yeah." Ra grinned proudly from his seat, his chest puffed out. "And I must say I'm damn good at it too-"

"You passed out Ra and was down for the whole day. Shush." Mantha countered ever so swiftly. "Let Casper talk." Ra frowned, puffing his cheeks out before he continued to eat, turning his nose up and ignoring Mantha.

"Yes, uh… Well, Ra found his powers, what makes him a terrifying monster, and Dummy Girl found hers."

"Hers?" Thatch raised a brow. "Didn't she say her power was making people laugh? I doubt we got to worry about it then."

"But… That's not it," Slither whispered softly, only his eyes above the table now. Thatch rolled his eyes at the monster and made a motion for him to come back up. Slither didn't move, just peering up at all of them. He was still embarrassed by Casper's ever so kind words. He wasn't use to being praised.

"Well, what is it?" Mantha crossed her arms over her chest. "What can a puppet do?"

"Control people," Casper sighed heavily. "Ra, I'm so sorry." Casper tried to speak comfortingly as he looked at the mummy, his gaze sad but he was trying to be calm. Ra had no power over what happened, he didn't know.

"...Sorry? Casper, why are you looking at me like that?" Ra shifted uncomfortably on the bench.

"She controlled you, Ra- Ra!" Casper reached out for the mummy as his dear friend stood straight up from the table.

"That's impossible! She can't. This isn't my fault-"

"Oh, it isn't Ra we get it isn't." Casper got up from his seat and floated over the table, tucking his legs under himself as he took Ra's hands, trying to keep the mummy calm and soothe his friend. "We all get it. It was all Dummy Girl-"

"No! She couldn't have done that!" Ra said stubbornly, yanking his hands back. He moved back, his stance defensive, fight or flight. One hand tightly grasp his necklace as he watched his friends. "She couldn't have! It's not my fault, it's not… my…"

"Ra," Mantha carefully spoke, standing up and offering her hand to the mummy. "Let's talk this over, it's ok. We got the camera, it's safe."

"No, it's not. Not if she can control us, I don't... I don't remember it, Casper." The mummy whimpered helplessly. "This… I could have gotten you two in trouble?" Ra looked between Casper and Thatch. Yeah, he wasn't a fan of Thatch, but he wouldn't do anything to endanger their relationship.

Casper could just see Ra was utterly riddled with doubt and guilt, but who wouldn't be? To be told he was being controlled to get his friends in trouble, who would believe such a thing? The mummy turned to storm out of the room, but he stopped at the commanding tone...

"Ra." Thatch finally said. "Sit down," He ordered, his eyes narrowing at the mummy, who took a careful step back. "Wrong." He hissed. "You'll sit down, and we'll talk. Casper's not done talking. We all get this isn't your fault." Thatch repeated Casper's kinder words. "You're… You are Casper's and Mantha's friend, and now," He paused for a moment, taking a soothing breath. "You're mine too. So, calm down and sit. We'll talk this over. She has no camera, and it's a pain to get ahold of one. We'll be safe for today, so let's talk and plan out something to assure we'll be safe from her." The words seemed to calm the mummy, easing his nerves and erasing his guilt, at least for now. Casper gently took Ra's hand again, guiding the mummy to sit beside Mantha.

Mantha offered a kind smile, resting a hand on the mummy's shoulder to try to bring him some comfort as Casper took his seat once more. None of them noticed Slither was under the table again, hiding from them all.

"Better," Thatch sighed softly. He was feeling much more like himself. He felt awake like he could actually think without the constant stomach pains he had been ignoring for days on end. "So, Casper, as you were saying." Thatch gently encourage his ghost boyfriend.

"Oh uh, right, um… We got the camera, but I don't know what's on it. I thought we could look at it together?" He weakly offered. "I also haven't seen Dummy Girl since last night. But if she can control people there's no way she can be safe. The only choice we have is to…"

"Is to expose her as a complete danger and get her expelled," Ra said firmly. Casper tensed up, quickly shaking his head as the mummy continued. "Even Kibosh has a thing against monsters hurting monsters, no way he would allow this."

"Exactly!" Mantha smiled. "Oh wait, don't we still have the… um… flower?" She leaned forward as she whispered, her eyes darting around. "We plant that on her and Kibosh will lose his mind. Bye, bye Dummy Girl." She grinned widely.

Casper really wanted to avoid this. He wanted to see the best in everyone, but she was out of control. She hurt Thatch, himself, she controlled Ra and was pushing everyone around. But to plant evidence, it felt wrong. He only wanted true fact, he wasn't like Thatch who could tell a white lie without batting an eye. If Dummy Girl was to be expelled, Casper wanted it to be the truth and only the truth. She was such a danger though... Casper closed his eyes, covering them with his hands as he sunk back in his seat. It was just all too much. How could they do all of this? Could he really go through with expelling a fellow student with a lie?

He couldn't answer his questions, and before he could collect his thoughts he felt a tug on his ankle. He uncovered his eyes and looked down under the table, seeing Slither contently sitting there in the shadows, beckoning him under. Casper frowned, feeling a bit unsure but he fazed through his seat and went under the table willingly, floating just off the ground beside Slither. It was oddly peaceful down here. The table above kept the lights off, and no one could really see them at this angle.

"Casper? Slither get back up here," the zombie encouraged gently. As she leaned over to peer under the table.

"In a minute," Casper responded simply, then looked at Slither. Mantha rolled her eyes and sat back up, returning to her half eaten meal. "What is it?"

"You're distressed, riddled with guilt." Slither cautiously said, nervously wringing his stripped 'hands' together as he avoided eye contact. "I… you… You are... brave." He slowly spoke. "You are s-strong, and you are so brave for doing this." His voice was getting weaker as he spoke. But Casper knew what Slither was doing. Just as Casper reached out, Slither was returning the favor in a time of need.

"Slither…"

"I trust you, Casper. You protect Thatch, you protect your friends." He looked away quickly. "You are brave and strong. Whatever you choose, I will follow you. Whether we plant the flower or not, it's up to you. You saved Thatch from the garlic, and now from the camera. You've made him smile so much… Thank you, for helping my brother."

The ghost smiled and moved forward, wrapping his arms around the cold monster, hugging him tightly. Slither naturally flinched at the touch, but after a few moments, he shakily hugged the ghost back.

"Ok enough," Thatch fussed softly, looking under the table. "Get up here Casper, you too hatchling." He teased lightly. Slither stuck out his forked tongue before he released the small ghost. Casper giggled softly and fazed through the table, and right through Mantha's tray, making the zombie drop her fork into her lap in surprise.

"Casper!" She scolded, quickly trying to get the food off before it stained her. Casper couldn't help but laugh and smile as he took his seat.

"Sorry Mantha." He apologized of course. He was feeling better, especially after Slither's encouragement. "Guys, I don't want to expel Dummy Girl."

"But she's trying to expose you." Mantha frowned, looking at Casper like he was crazy. She leaned forward, giving the ghost a good, firm look like an upset mother would. "She needs to be stopped."

"And we'll stop her, hell if Casper doesn't want to plant the evidence we'll just beat her up until she swears to back off!" Ra slammed his hands on the table, making Casper flinched back. Ra didn't seem to notice.

"Wait, that's not what I want either-" Casper weakly started.

"But that's what I want! I'm not a puppet, I'm a mummy." He stood up, his hands tight in fists. "Thatch is right, I'm your guys' friend and this is all her fault. I won't let her get away with it."

"Wait, that's not what I meant," Thatch quickly tried to control the mummy, and surprisingly Ra listened. Perhaps Ra was still calmed by Thatch's previous words. The dynamic between the two was changing at a rapid pace, casper hardly knew what was going on between them. "Yes we'll make Dummy Girl pay, but Ra you must control yourself… Your eyes are starting to glow." Thatch gingerly spoke, reaching across the table and placed his hands on top of Ra's.

Casper shifted and looked at Ra slowly, noticing the faint green glow. Wow, had did Thatch notice that? Casper completely overlooked it. "Ra…" Casper softly whispered. Between Thatch's kind words and Casper's familiar caring voice they seemed to ease the mummy. They got Ra to sit back down and Mantha gently patted his back. "We'll handle this, but we got to think things over." Casper watched his upset friend. "I know you're torn, I know you're hurting inside but… It'll be okay."

"Casper's right," Thatch mumbled, removing his hands and sitting back down so Mantha took over comforting the brown eyed monster. "We need to calm down and think things over. If we rush we'll just mess up, and fighting is a dumb decision. You could get caught and expelled." Thatch explained easily. Casper took this chance to lean against the vampire again, slowly relaxing and letting a smile come to his face. Thatch was eating and being kind, so maybe there was some true changes throughout the week. It was nice.

"I'm just so mad," Ra admitted with defeat, resting his hands on the table as his gaze dropped low. Casper could just see Ra was so upset, the way he was curling in on himself, that lost look in his eyes. But the anger seemed gone, Thatch had put out that fire.

"You have every right to be mad, Ra." Thatch continued. "We'll fix this all. We still got the camera, remember? There is no reason to be freaking out or going after her right now. We stick together and think of a solid, clear plan. We won't plant evidence," as the vampire spoke he looked down at the cuddling ghost, gently smiling. "We won't use violence. We're better than that."

"Thatch, man, you've changed." Ra lightly chuckled, offering a smile. "You use to be a big headed jerk."

"Use to be?" Thatch raised a brow. "Don't expect me to change-" Thatch paused as Casper hugged him tighter, and after a moment he groaned softly. "Just don't expect much…"


	31. A Peaceful Saturday

Chapter 31: A peaceful Saturday

After breakfast, and with Thatch properly stuffed to Casper's personal liking the large group headed back to the boy's dorm. Naturally, curiosity was getting at all of them so Casper went to the coffin, getting the camera out of its hiding spot after kindly telling everyone but Thatch to turn away. He didn't want to risk anyone seeing Thatch's hiding spot, or the collection of colorful rubber ducks. He was careful as he took the camera out, then quickly shut the hidden compartment then the lid of the coffin. "Okay guys," he started and turned back towards his friends.

They all naturally started to move around to get comfortable. Casper sat beside the coffin, leaning back against it so he had some support. Thatch was to his right, Slither to his left. Ra climbed on top of the coffin, ignoring Thatch's soft hiss of protest. Thatch allowed it once Ra just sat down, peering down at the camera from behind Casper's shoulder, and Mantha sat on the coffin beside Ra so she could see as well.

With everyone gathered close Casper carefully turned the camera on. It was one of those fancy electronic ones Jimmy liked to show him. It could store hundreds of pictures, and video normally. Casper had to carefully navigate the menus, finding the gallery and opening it. Casper just selected the oldest picture because it was the first thumbnail that loaded. Why not start at the beginning anyway? The screen took a few moments to load before it displayed the picture.

The first picture was simple enough, Dummy Girl clearly used this camera for personal use, but for some reason, there was a picture of Slither from behind as the snake monster was brushing his teeth, clearly early in the morning. Slither instantly groaned upon seeing the image.

"She kept those?" He almost whined, naturally reaching forward to take the camera and Mantha smacked his 'hand' away instantly as she scooched forward on top of the coffin to see the image better.

"No, shoo. I wanna see. What are these?" Mantha asked. Casper only shrugged, and Slither wasn't answering so he went on to the next picture, which was the same setting just slightly different. Now they could see Dummy Girl's hand reaching forward from behind the camera as she snuck up behind Slither. The next picture showed her hand just hovering over the back of Slither's robe. The next one had Slither up on the sink, toothbrush still in his mouth as he clung to the wall mirror, clearly startled like a common domestic house cat. Casper honestly couldn't imagine how Slither got up there. Did he jump? Climb? It was a mystery.

Ra started to laugh, gripping his sides as he nearly rolled off of the coffin. Mantha nearly rolled off the coffin with the mummy while Slither, the entire time had this 50% fed up look. Even Thatch was trying not to laugh just to save Slither some of his pride.

"Oh I remember these," Thatch mumbled, trying to just continue. "Dummy Girl loved taking pictures of us. She even got some of me."

"But you're a vampire?" Ra chuckled, still trying to get over the fact that Slither looked like a scared cat. The mummy readjusted himself so he was laying on the lid, less likely he'll fall off with laughter then.

"Normally yes. We can't see ourselves in mirrors or old photographs because of the silver used. But with digital screens and the like, we can be captured." Thatch easily explained with a shrug. "You should have seen Dummy Girl's face when she figured that lovely detail out." Thatch softly groaned. "I was so sick of this camera constantly in my face. I made her delete most of my photos."

Casper softly giggled and pressed next, and to his surprise, it was a fuzzy image of what only could be described as a sideways arrow. After Casper looked back at Ra and Mantha and got no answer, he looked to Thatch. The vampire pressed the center 'ok' button on the camera, and after a brief loading, a video started to play. The volume was on max too, giving them all a bit of a start.

There was a bit of an odd sound like something was rubbing against the microphone, and the screen was pretty dark, but after a moment the video turned and they could see they were under a bed, and they could actually see Thatch's coffin. It was back in its normal spot before Thatch had moved him and his new found friends to the corner for safety reasons. The video showed Dummy Girl sneaking along in the boy's dorm, creeping towards Thatch's coffin. As she drew right beside it she knocked on it repeatedly, not enough to wake anybody but certainly loud enough to wake the vampire. She then ran and ducked behind Ra's sarcophagus, poking the camera around so they could still see.

The lid suddenly popped up and Thatch poked his head out, his eyes narrowed as he angrily looked around the room. Casper tried not to laugh, the action reminding the friendly ghost of the game whack-a-mole. The vampire slowly started to sink back down in his coffin, pulling the lid down. He paused right before it shut, only his eyes visible as he glared out into the dark room. After a few more moments Thatch shut the coffin lid with a soft and strict thump. Dummy Girl giggled and turned the camera to her big wooden head, stifling her laughter before the video stopped.

Casper smiled and looked at Thatch, who groaned and rolled his eyes. "She did that three nights in a row." He grumpily said as he pressed next. The next was a picture of Mosshead asleep, just a really close up of his face. Casper was trying not to smile as he looked at these, they really seemed like friends. It was a pity what happened to them now.

As they flipped through the pictures they saw the general life of Thatch's old friends. Dummy Girl often took pictures of school notes as well, other people's notes- and most of the time it was either Thatch's or Slither's so she didn't have to take her own notes in class. Every once in awhile there would be a picture of the whole group, and in every one, it was Slither holding the camera due to his extendable arms. In most of the pictures, Thatch seemed highly annoyed to be troubled with it but seemed to be accepted it anyways.

In one there was even one of Thatch smiling, his arms placed over Slither's and Dummy Girl's shoulders, Mosshead was sitting on the ground in front of them for this group photo. Casper lingered on this one longer, staring at their faces. Even Slither managed to crack a small smile.

Thatch gazed at the photo, leaning against the ghost's side. He wasn't saying anything, but Casper could tell by the small details in the vampire's face he was missing them. The softer look he had, the frown on his lips with the creases in his brow. Casper didn't know what to say, and to his surprise, the vampire suddenly pulled back and sat up straight, and that's when he saw a single tear. Casper quickly reached out to brush the tear away, but to his surprise, the acid tear just slipped through his hand. He didn't mean to do that, but it seemed like the ghost couldn't intentionally put himself in harm's way, even if Casper didn't care if he got burnt by the acid. Luckily it just landed on the stone floor between them, sizzling briefly before it was completely gone.

"Thatch," Casper softly whispered and placed his hand on the vampire's shoulder.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." He quickly defended, tilting his head back so it rested against his coffin as he blinked back the rest of his tears, taking a shaky breath. "I'm fine, really… I just got caught up thinking."

"Thatch?" Mantha softly spoke as she reached out, seeming to, almost in a motherly way, brush the vampire's hair back and away from his face. "Do you miss them?"

"I'm fine. I got Slither, and I got you guys now… right?" He softly questioned as he looked at the friendly trio.

"Right." Ra grinned as he laid on top of the coffin, lazily swinging his legs behind himself as he used his hands as a pillow, apparently comfortable on the wooden lid. Of course, compared to his stone bed the wood must have felt much softer. "You said it yourself at breakfast, we're friends."

Thatch nodded, taking a deep soothing breath before he leaned back against Casper like before. He went ahead and started to flip through the photos again with him, and soon they found what they wanted. They could see several photos of Casper missing from his bed at night, Dummy Girl trying to open the coffin to no avail, then Ra confronting her in the middle of the night.

"I don't remember that," Ra muttered, pointing to the picture of himself. In the image, it looked like Ra was straight up about to fight Dummy Girl. Thatch moved onto the next, and the mummy was utterly passive with a blank, emotionless stare. His gaze was fuzzy and he was utterly passive, just stiffly standing there. Dummy Girl must have been curious about this because she just took several pictures of the passive mummy from different angles.

There was a skip in the photos because next the photos were all pictures of Ra's memories. Casper and Thatch getting off the ship together, when Ra and Mantha were hiding to watch Casper and the vampire sneak off into the woods together, then something else. Ra apparently followed them into the woods because there were pictures of Casper and Thatch by their favorite tree.

Casper frowned and looked back at the mummy, who guilty looked away. "I got worried about you… I know I shouldn't have, but I was just so… worried. Casper, you're my friend, and I couldn't trust Thatch right then. I'm sorry."

"Hey, it's fine." Thatch chuckled softly. "How can I be mad at you when Slither did the same thing?" He grinned, looking over at the gray monster, who looked away quickly. "Slither followed me and Casper into the forest too, only he made himself known after a bit. Seems the only one that didn't follow us was Mantha. Thanks." He actually said. Mantha seemed startled by it, but she happily nodded.

"Well, uh… Yeah," she muttered, a bit lost for words. It was strange to see the vampire be so… normal. She knew he would most likely hold onto some of his more bully-like traits, those weren't going away any time soon, but with them, Thatch could relax and be peaceful. It was a comfort to see this side of him.

Casper pressed next on the camera, and then he winced when he saw the image. Right… Ra had a front row seat to Thatch kissing him in the cafeteria. All those pictures were terribly worrying, but this one was the killer. This was the one that could utterly ruin them if Dummy Girl had the camera. If she had it, which she didn't. They had it, so there were no worries. Casper hit next, but that was all.

"Well, we've reached the end." He softly spoke, staring at the image on the screen. He was tempted to hit delete, but it was harmless enough. Besides he had to admit the image was rather cute, even if it was embarrassing. It was a memory Casper never wanted to forget.

"What do we do now?" Slither softly asked, looking a bit clueless. They had the camera, they knew what was on it, they clearly had the upper hand.

"Well, we make Ra's sarcophagus Dummy Girl proof. Thatch will have to lock his coffin every night as well, just to be careful. But I guess… Dummy Girl is harmless to us. The only people who know where we're hiding the camera is Thatch and me." Casper shrugged. "So Thatch will stay safe in his coffin, and Dummy Girl can't control ghosts. Protecting Ra is just something I want to do since she has been targeting him."

"Thanks, Casp." Ra chuckled and climbed off of Thatch's coffin, stretching out. "Don't know how we'll make it Dummy Girl proof. My sarcophagus is just a stone box with two hinges on the side to keep the lid in place."

"We could try to install a lock on the inside?" Thatch offered. "We can probably find a padlock and some scrap metal somewhere. Then we just need to drill holes into the stone."

"That'll be impossible!" Ra groaned.

"For you maybe, but I'm pretty sure Slither is strong enough. Right, Slither?" Casper turned to the gray monster and smiled. Slither looked towards Ra's sarcophagus, silently judging it before he nodded. "Okay good. I guess we should start looking." Casper stood up and stretched. "You guys go on ahead, I'll put the camera up."

"I'll check the attic. There's always cool stuff in there." Mantha decided as she hopped off the lid. "Shouldn't we go in pairs of two? Just in case?"

"If you're paranoid." Ra snorted, but after a moment nodded. "I guess. Hey, Thatch wanna go with me? I wanna talk to you." the mummy boy demanded.

"Erm…" Thatch looked to Casper, who made a gentle shooing motion with a smile. "Sure, Ra," Thatch left Casper's side and headed over to the mummy uncertainty. Ra seemed pretty confident in his decision as he grabbed the vampire by his wrist, pulling the fellow dead creature out. Slither and Mantha looked at each other before just shrugging.

"You'll be fine, right Casper?" Mantha asked, resting a hand on her hip in her classic sassy stance. Casper smiled, nodded, then peacefully watched as the odd duo left. He had a feeling Ra and Thatch won't find anything because Ra was easily distracted and normally Thatch hated work. He just bet Mantha and Slither would find loads of useful items.

Casper waited for a few silent moments before he pulled the lid up and put the camera right back in its hiding spot. Safe and sound! As the ghost shut the lid he let a pleased sigh escape him. Everything was going well. This was a nice break, to step back and get away from some of their own drama. He just hoped it would all be settled soon. It was finally the weekend and Casper felt like he could just breath. It was a week since he was at Thatch's place. He was already missing those long dark halls, the kitchen which smelled of shortbread, the big strawberry bushes and that big, empty ballroom where the instruments played themselves. It was so impossibly magical. He really wished he could see it again. He wished his friends could see it, he just knew they'll love it…


	32. Ra

Chapter 32: Ra

Casper spent the day following Mantha and Slither around, since he actually knew where they went, unlike Ra and Thatch. He He wished the two had more luck than their group. He helped move things, search chests buried under crap to see if there were useful things and generally assisting the pair to search the large, eerie location. Before long they had found several padlocks, and Slither managed to unscrew some plates off the front of an old dusty chest that they could use one of the padlocks for, but only half the padlocks they found had keys to them. The one they were favoring, a nice gold plated padlock was missing its key so they were searching for it.

They all agreed a gold-colored padlock might make Ra happy because… mummy's like gold, right? And besides, if Ra was forced to put a lock on his own bed, they wanted to give him something nice. Ra had been through so much, Casper knew every small deed could help in some way, surely.

So they ended up searching all day, but admittedly the attic was bigger than Casper first thought. They barely got done with half the room when dinner time was approaching. They called it a day, tossing their gathered items into an empty box near the door so they could keep track of them. Mantha looked so tired Casper was sure she was just going to fall to pieces if she didn't hold herself together. Casper didn't even bother flying- too much effort. The exhausted trio headed down to the cafeteria, and the ghost admittedly felt irked when he saw Ra and Thatch eating dinner and laughing, looking perfectly fine.

Casper took a calming breath and tried to remain friendly as he headed over to the table. Thatch looked up and smiled brightly. "Hey, Casper!" He greeted happily. He patted the spot right beside him, wanting the ghost to sit down. "Wow, you look exhausted. I'll go get you your tray." He decided. He then took notice of Slither and Mantha. "Oh er… I'll get them trays too." He decided and got up. Casper begrudgingly took his seat and watched as Mantha sat beside Ra and Slither… Well, Slither seemed to think sitting was too much of a hassle because the monster just curled up beside the table and settled right there for a nap.

"Slither, come on get up." Mantha yawned tiredly as she peered over the table. "Sit with us."

"Hmmn… In a minute." Slither softly muttered, using his extendable arms as his personal pillow, just seeming content to lay on the stone floor. Mantha rolled her eyes and rested back in her seat and doing her best to not glare at Ra, who was just ever so chipper as he ate his meal. Casper could see Mantha clearly wasn't too happy, but only because she was exhausted.

Casper tried to keep positive. They almost got the perfect lock for Ra. They just need to find the dumb key…

Thatch returned, struggling to balance the three trays he was carrying, but the vampire seemed pretty stubborn and refused help from Wolfie who had kindly offered it on the way. Thatch carefully set the trays down in front of Casper and Mantha, and of course in front of Slither's empty spot. It was only then Slither hissed and got up, finally crawling into his seat.  
As Thatch sat back down Mantha cleared her throat. "So," she started with an authoritative tone.

"We found several locks in the attic."

"Oh, that's cool," Ra said offhandedly, earning a glare from the zombie which he seemed completely oblivious to. "Once Thatch and I left the dorm Thatch remembered he had an extra set of locks and spare supplies in his coffin."

"In case one of them broke. Mom sent me 5 spare parts of everything." Thatch rolled his eyes. "Even got some tools we can use." Casper took a deep breath, trying not to flip his shit. This was handy, yes. Would have it been nice to know before they searched the attic for hours on end looking for a single golden key for the dumb gold padlock they found? Yes, it would have been fucking nice! Oh, but Casper tried to calm down. He bet Thatch's supplies was all black to match his coffin.

"Well, that's nice," the ghost drew out slowly. "But I don't think black will match Ra's sarcophagus that much. Me, Mantha and Slither all found a gold padlock and some golden screws and stuff. Slither managed to salvage them off a chest. We just need to find the key to the padlock." He said proudly.

"Oh true," Ra said thoughtfully. "I guess black won't look that good Thatch. Nice work Casper." Ra smiled brightly. Finally. Casper smiled and motioned over to Mantha and Slither. "They did most of the work."

"Awe Casper you're too modest," Mantha mumbled, too tired to give him a full-hearted smile. She looked like at any moment she would just fall asleep. Thatch seemed completely oblivious to just how tired the trio was.

"I guess black would look awful with Ra," he hummed softly, then shrugged. "Tomorrow we'll look for the key. Ra and I have been talking almost all day."

"What on earth can you two be talking about all day?" Mantha watched the two carefully, suspiciously. Ra and Thatch both started to laugh, then simply continued to eat. Seems like they resisted to answer Mantha. Casper was growing more curious… Surely Thatch would tell him when they were alone again. Thatch wouldn't keep a secret from him now! So with that comfort in mind, the exhausted ghost started to eat his dinner. He couldn't wait to crawl back into bed… should he sleep in his own bed, or Thatch's coffin? He wondered what Thatch wanted… Eh, he'll worry about that when they get to the dorms. 

Dinner was pretty uneventful. Ra and Thatch kept looking at each other and trying not to laugh. Clearly there was something going on, but honestly, Casper was too tired… As the small group headed into the dorm Thatch gently guided the tired ghost towards the coffin. Well, guess Casper got his answer. He faintly smiled as Thatch opened the lid for him and helped the tired ghost climb in. "Hey, Casp? Think you can get Cappy to sneak us into town tomorrow?" Thatch excitedly asked. "I swear it's nothing bad, I was just thinking we could go clothes shopping again."

"Go to sleep," Casper whined as he settled right down. Thatch gave a small pout but accepted that Casper seemed tired. The vampire climbed into the coffin after watching Ra and Slither get into their beds, and of course, waving goodbye to Mantha as she headed for the girl's dorm. As the vampire climbed into the coffin Casper moved, making sure there was enough room for the vampire.

"You're not wearing clothes again." Thatch huffily said. "I didn't want to mention it though. I think it's cause you don't got enough outfits."

"Hmn… Perhaps."

"So we'll fix that tomorrow-"

"Shhhhh…" Casper raised his hand and put it over the vampire's mouth, quieting the chattering monster. "Go to sleep." He ordered tiredly. Thatch playfully gave a hiss before he laid down beside Casper. He, of course, locked the lid, purely because the vampire didn't want anyone seeing them. In the coffin was an intimate experience. Just them and their trust for each other. Casper naturally allowed Thatch to hold them, the pair contently cuddling as they dozed off into their peaceful dreams... 

Ra's yelling woke them up. It would have woken anyone up. Casper's eyes snapped open, terror striking him at the sound of his friend's screams. Thatch sat up to bolt out of the coffin and slammed right into the lid. He held his head and cursed loudly, kicking his foot and releasing the latch for the dumb lock. He was then able to push the lid open and crawl out of the coffin despite the painful knot he had swelling on top of his head. Everyone was awake in the dorm, their eyes wide as they saw Dummy Girl and Ra fighting.

"Oh for star's sake… Ra, break it up!" Thatch shouted and hurried over, prying the mummy off of the living puppet. Dummy Girl was quick to get to her feet and attempted to bolt for the door, but Casper immediately got in her way. He didn't trust this. Dummy Girl wasn't supposed to be in here anyway, and clearly, she tried something with Ra. Casper could feel it in his gut.

"Give it back! Thatch get it!" Ra yelled, struggling against the vampire, but Thatch was stronger. "Dummy Girl you're nothing but firewood if you-"

"Easy there," Thatch tried to restrain Ra, pulling him back and away from Dummy Girl for her own safety, that was until the awful puppet started to laugh. Thatch's eyes narrowed and he looked far more hostile, but he was still holding Ra back, though it was more for Ra's safety.

"I'll give it back if you give me my camera!" Dummy Girl screamed back at Ra.

"H-hey hey! You can't be bullying him!" Wolfie yelled from his bunk, growling angrily.

"You can't be stealing from people!"

"They stole first dog-brains!" Dummy Girl snapped, her eyes going to Casper and she gave a disgusted look. "Give me back my camera, or I break this!" She yelled, holding up Ra's beetle pendant, the one he always wore around his neck. The gold pendant glowed green in the gentle light of the room, the small legs actually wiggling, as if the beetle itself was desperate to get away- wanting to crawl back to Ra.

Casper didn't know the importance of it, but clearly, it was terribly important to Ra even it the object was a bit freaky. Casper watched the pendant as it swung gently in Dummy Girl's hand, then let his blue eyes go back to Thatch and Ra. Thatch now had his arms around the mummy, keeping Ra close and protected.

"I didn't mean for this to happen Casper, but please… I can't lose that. I need it back."

"Then you'll get it back," Casper said adamantly. He looked at Dummy Girl, keeping his head high and his chest puffed out with confidence. "You're an awful monster. No wonder all your friends deserted you." He snapped. Casper just felt so enraged, and yes what he said was mean, but it was true! He watched Dummy Girl's mouth uselessly swing in silence, taken back by Casper's aggressiveness. She looked to Thatch as if silently asking what the hell was going on. Thatch just huffed and turned his head away, giving her no kindness or comfort.

Casper shuffled over to Thatch's coffin, naturally shutting the lid, well not shutting it. He more like slammed it as he watched Dummy Girl. He then rolled his eyes and fazed through the wood, sighing as he was encased in the dark comforts of Thatch's coffin. He opened up the secret compartment, removing the camera carefully. He nervously moved the object hand to hand.

He… Ra was so important to him, and if that necklace was so important to Ra then so be it. Casper could handle his pictures being posted everywhere. He would fight Dummy Girl the right way. No stealing, no planting evidence, none of that. He'll just have to trust in himself and all his friends to make things right. He slammed the compartment shut and pushed the lid off the coffin, flying out and holding the camera by its strap. "Give Ra the pendant and you can have this dumb camera. I'm not scared of you."

"You should be!" Dummy Girl snapped but clearly wasn't in the mood to argue with the ghost. She strolled over to Ra, looking at the mummy and her previous friend in disgust. She then pitched the pendant at Ra, who quickly caught it and held it close to himself, pure relief on his face now that he had it back. As Dummy Girl marched towards the door Casper flew towards her and begrudgingly handed her the camera as agreed. He'll let Dummy Girl think she won. He knew he was better than her, his friends were all better than her! The second Dummy Girl stepped outside the dorm Casper slammed the door behind her. He was just so mad!

"Whoa there Casper," Wolfie whimpered. "You ok? What's going on with the camera thing?" He restlessly asked. Casper looked back into the dorm, seeing nearly everyone was gawking at him. He could just feel their shock. Yeah, he had yelled at Dummy Girl, said some mean things too. He was supposed to be a friendly ghost but…

"That camera has pictures of me and Thatch in it… She's going to show Kibosh." The ghost weakly answered, slowly floating over to Ra and Thatch. The mummy was sitting beside his sarcophagus, the pendant back around his neck. He was just resting back, eyes closed while holding the beetle tightly in both hands, keeping it close. Thatch was kneeling beside Ra, looking worried. As Casper drew near Thatch looked up and offered a gentle smile.

"He's ok, just a bit stressed out…" Thatch softly spoke, seeming to asses Ra's situation in a better light than Casper. The ghost was purely worried about his dear friend, sadly watching Ra- but Thatch spoke again and demanded on ghost's attention." Casper, what are we going to do?"

"I'll handle it."

"You can't Casper. There is no way."

"I said… Yeah." He mumbled softly. He honestly had no plan, no clue what to expect. "Dummy Girl is going to plaster those pictures everywhere."

"Well.. why don't we hide them!" Quasi yelled from his bunk. "We can wake up early. Right, right? We can all go searching and hide them!"

"Yezzz. We can heeelpzzzz!" Fly-Boy buzzed from his bed.

Casper could feel himself smiling. He still felt horrid but… If everyone here wanted to help him then, of course, he'll agree. "We'll just have to get every picture come morning. We'll all wake up early, an hour before our routine alarms." He said confidently, and almost instantly everyone was changing their alarm clocks. "Everyone get to sleep, we all need to be awake and ready come morning!" Maybe they really could keep everything a secret. They would fight Dummy Girl daily if that's what it takes!

Casper looked back at Ra and smiled kindly. He had some questions as to why that beetle pendant was so important, but it didn't matter. He helped a friend, and now all his friends would help them. "Go to sleep Ra," he spoke softly. Casper helped move the stone lid while Thatch kindly guided the mummy right to bed. As they pushed the heavy lid shut Casper and Thatch looked at each other, and both of them couldn't help but let a smile form.

"You were actually scary for a bit Casper."

"And you were so friendly."

"Don't expect it frequently." The vampire huffily said. "I'm not used to the whole 'nice' thing."

"And I'm not used to being so… mean. I think I prefer the way we are." Casper giggled softly and took the vampire's hand, escorting him back to his coffin. "You need to stop hitting your head by the way."

"Oh shut it marshmallow." He grunted as he hoisted the lid of the coffin and climbed in, Casper naturally following him. No one even seemed to bat an eye at the fact they were sleeping together. It just seemed normal now, and no one minded it anymore. Love was ok, being friendly was ok. Why couldn't the adults just accept that?


	33. Photographs

Chapter 33: Photographs

The second the alarms went off Casper was eager to get to work. He gave his beloved vampire a swift kiss on the cheek before he unlocked the lid and forced it open, quickly scurrying out of the coffin. Thatch climbed out of the coffin after Casper, waking up promptly now. Seems the vampire was getting back into better health after starving himself for a week! It was a comfort to see Thatch bounce back so quickly. Honestly, vampires were so wondrous.

Casper flew around the room quickly, shutting off the alarms as everyone woke up since everyone hated that dumb ringing sound. He also didn't want a single chance of anyone they didn't want hearing them, this had to be done quickly and silently. Casper decided to make sure Ra was getting up as well so the ghost opened the lid on the sarcophagus up, smiling at Ra as the tired mummy tightened the bandages on his legs. "Morning Casp," the mummy greeted calmly. "Ready to get to work?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." Casper nervously smiled, wringing his hands together. Casper was nervous and excited all at once. Yes, they could get caught, but to see everyone wanting to help bring much-needed comfort. "Let's get to work Ra." He said, offering his hand to the mummy. Ra chuckled and took it, accepting the help out of his sarcophagus before he released the ghost, letting Casper fly and hovered near the door as the crowd of boys gather in front of him one by one, expect for Slither. Slither was… leaving? The serpent just slithered passed the group and Casper to get to the door. That made no sense, even Mosshead was standing in the crowd of helpers! Clearly, the swamp monster didn't want Dummy Girl winning after what she had done to him.

"Slither?" Casper frowned, watching the snake monster open the dorm door. Slither glanced back, then shrugged and just left. Casper didn't bother chasing him, he needed to concentrate. But even as he turned back to the group he could see Thatch was just as puzzled as he. Thatch was tapping his foot, and starting to look as anxious as Casper felt now that Slither had just up and left. But the ghost tried to keep his head on straight and his mind clear. "We split into pairs of two. We got to cover as much ground as we can before anyone else wakes up. There's an incinerator in the cellar, burn the pictures there. And uh… please don't judge Thatch and me from the photos Dummy Girl took," the ghost weakly added on.

Wolfie laughed, his tail wagging. "Oh, Casper I don't think there's anything on those photographs that can surprise us monsters! The most shocking thing in the world was you picking Thatch, nothing afterward could be more surprising than that." The werewolf quipped, gaining some chuckles and laughs from the fellow boys. Casper gently smiled and nodded as he lowered himself, letting his feet touch the floor.

"Let's get to work." He said confidently and opened the dorm doors, leading the group of boys out- just to be greeted with Slither leaving the girls room, helping the female students sneak out so they didn't wake Dummy Girl. Mantha, Harpy, Mickey and Monaco, and Triclops all carefully exited the dorm, then Slither shut the door ever so quietly.

Casper gave a confused look, and Slither almost helplessly shrugged again. "I figured they might want to help. We need all the aid we can get, right?"

"Slither, you're amazing." Thatch grinned and walked over to his friend, playfully ruffling up his gray hair. Slither smiled and looked at the floor, trying to hide his face from the students.

"Can't believe you forgot us," Mantha teased the mummy and ghost as she went to their side. "Honestly Casper, you'll need us… Also, I'm taking over. Wolfie and Harpy, go to the cafeteria with Mickey and Monaco. Fly-Boy and Triclops, head to the library-" Mantha started to give orders. Casper decided to just back off and let Mantha do her thing. Casper then figured he would oversee everything and help out everywhere. He quickly whispered that to Mantha and she nodded, waving him off as she continued to give orders to the students, having them pair up. Then, at Mantha's demanding orders the students all split up in their pairs and got to work. Casper watched Ra and Thatch hurry off, they were going to check the entryway. They weren't going to leave a single room untouched… and honestly thank goodness they planned that.

As Casper was flying around the walls were COVERED with pictures of him and Thatch kissing. All the same picture. There was even some poster sized ones. He was utterly flabbergasted. Dummy Girl somehow even got pictures on the ceiling! How could such a short puppet do so much damage so quickly…? Everywhere he looked there was a photo.

Casper quickly went up high, starting to rip the photos off the ceiling and letting them flutter to the ground, where some of the other students were grabbing them and stacking them into piles for transport. Slither was assisting with his extendable arms, ripping tons of papers off the higher walls while students such as Wolfie and Quasi were stuck getting the photos lower. Casper had never seen the students ever work so hard, and so well together. It was humbling.

Stacks upon stacks of photos were being marched down to the incinerator. Casper was sure Dummy Girl probably killed at least a dozen forests, there was just so much! By the time 30 minutes had gone by there was hardly a dent on the lower walls. He and Slither managed to clear higher up, but that was just a small percentage of the problem. Casper was starting to feel fear tighten in his chest and he was panicking. They were going to get caught, he and Thatch would be exposed. Casper didn't know exactly what would happen, but he just knew it wouldn't be good. Kibosh disliked friendly creatures after all, despite once upon a time being friendly himself.

Casper wanted to see Thatch before they had to face Kibosh. He wanted to see Thatch, give him one big hug and feel his comforting embrace before time ran out. Casper gave a quick wave to Slither before he left him to handle that area. The ghost started to fly through the halls, searching for Thatch and Ra, since Mantha had paired the two together. After some searching Casper found Ra. The mummy was sweeping pictures into a trashcan to transport, but no sign of Thatch…

"Ra? Wasn't Thatch suppose to be with you?" Casper frowned and landed, placing a hand on the trashcan to keep it steady for the mummy as he swept in the pictures, seeing as the mummy had been struggling to do so.

"Eh, he ran off like 3 minutes ago, said he had something important to do. Oh hey Casp, I just heard Mickey and Monaco report in to Mantha. They finished clearing all the teacher's personal offices, but the classrooms are a different story. They grabbed Fly-Boy and Mosshead to help clear those out, but the hallways are doomed. We can't get them in time."

"Got it, thanks Ra." The ghost flashed a smile to try to keep their spirits up. He helped the mummy lift the trash can upright. Ra grumbled, untying the bandages around his arms and instead wrapping them around the trashcan so he could drag it along behind him, along with the other 3 trash cans he had stuffed full of pictures. Casper weakly smiled, watching the mummy for a moment before he hurried off again in search for his Bat-Boy.

When he found Thatch at first he was annoyed. Thatch wasn't cleaning up the photos, but instead on the crystal ball, talking to someone. Thatch's back was facing the ghost so the vampire didn't notice as Casper drew closer.

"Mom I don't know anymore… It seems so hopeless now. Even with the others helping it's hopeless. Mom, I'm doomed… I plan to take the fall for Casper though… No mom, I don't think even you can help me now. Kibosh is going to find out and… It won't end well… Alder and Dash? After our last call Kibosh fired them and took over… No mom, I don't think that'll help." The vampire sighed, nervously toying with the curled telephone wire as he watched the phosphorescent crystal ball.

The ghost's breath hitched and he stopped his approach, turning invisible so he wouldn't interrupt Thatch. The living vampire was talking to his mom? That's what was so important? Casper nervously watched the vampire as he started to creep forward again, going around Thatch so he could see his expression. Thatch looked utterly riddled with concern, he looked so tired and desperate. His violet eyes were cast downwards, his shoulders slumped with the weight of stress.

"Dad must be disappointed, huh?" The monster muttered. Casper couldn't make out what was being said, but he could certainly hear Clementine's voice now, even if muffled. Sounded like she was yelling or firmly speaking to Thatch, but Casper couldn't hear a thing she was actually saying. Thatch shifted the phone, holding it between his head and shoulder as he moved his hands, pulling up his right sleeve. On his wrist was a small black heart. It looked to be drawn on with a sharpie, and by the shaky and faded edges, Thatch probably drew it on his wrist every morning when he brushed his teeth so it never fully faded. "Yes mom, I see it." He whispered softly, his eyes quickly darting up and down the hall. But Thatch couldn't see anyone. "Mom… Yes… I know he does… I miss him too…"

The vampire softly sighed and closed his eyes, letting himself lean back on the cool stone wall as he listened to his mom while he held the wrist which had the small black heart. "Mom, I'm scared… I don't want Casper to get hurt… Yes mom, I know." He faintly smiled, a soft laugh escaping him. Casper felt such relief just hearing Thatch's laugh now, but his laughter stopped abruptly. "Wait, you think I can…? There's no way. I'm not old enough, you said-... I…" Thatch frowned deeply and looked up and down the hall, his eyes narrowing at the dozens of photographs. He carefully raised his right hand, taking a deep breath as he kept the phone held to his ear with his left. Clementine must have been giving him instructions...

Casper just watched in awe as the photos started to rip themselves off the walls, then as if a gust of wind came all the photos were suddenly blown down the hall, all gathering into one big messy pile near Thatch's feet. Thatch seemed to be in a bit of shock himself, his mouth slack-jawed as he stared at the pictures. Casper could hear Clementine talking, but Thatch seemed too shocked to answer her back. "It worked…" He softly whispered. "Mom it worked!" He perked up, quickly holding the phone tight to his ear. "I got to go, mom, we might got a chance! I love you, I love you so much, momma!" He quickly spoke before he tossed the phone back up on the receiver.

Casper quickly moved back as Thatch raised his hand again, blowing the photographs like a wave in front of him. He hurried down the halls, the incriminating pictures being ripped off and joining the ever-growing wave. If someone had a fear of papercuts this would absolutely be a nightmare. Thatch was bolting down hall after hall, alarming several students as he ran by, taking all the photographs with him. As he passed the door to the incinerator he let the giant wave settle and just fall into a huge heap. The vampire then went down a different hallway, repeating the same processes. It was like a giant sweeper was rushing through.

Casper was just flying behind Thatch, still unseen as he watched in what could only be described as awe. Casper barely managed to tear his eyes away to look at the clock. They could do it… they just had to get the pictures down the stairs. Casper quickly rushed back to the door, seeing the students gathering and struggling to handle the giant amount of papers Thatch kept dropping off. Casper allowed himself to be seen and quickly started to help stack the papers and fly them down, throwing them into the incinerator. Slither was poking the papers and fire with a stick, making sure the flames burned strong and that every photo that was put in was nothing more than ash. Stacks upon stacks were carried down, Casper just tossing them into the fire and Slither made sure the fire was burning strong as ever.

After what seemed like hundreds of stacks Casper turned to grab the next pile, but Wolfie wasn't there with the next stack like he had been before. The ghost peered up the stairs just to see the werewolf helplessly shrugging.

"That's it!" He called down. "Close it up and head up, the alarms are going off!" He whimpered, then turned and ran. Casper looked at Slither, who quickly poked at the fire, making sure all the pictures were deep in the flames before he slammed the grate and hurriedly followed Casper up the stairs. The two found everyone slowly gathering in the cafeteria, out of breath but looking thrilled. Thatch was straight up on his back, laying on top one of the tables with his cloak just placed over his face, blocking out the light. Casper allowed himself to laugh and headed over, pulling the cloak off and grinned at the exhausted vampire.

"Thatch, that was amazing! We got them all!"

"Got all of what?" A booming voice came. The crowd of students turned their heads as Kibosh entered the cafeteria, looking mildly annoyed with his arms crossed over his chest in a disapproving manner. "It sounded like a tornado running through the school just a few minutes ago." He noted as he carefully scanned the students, who were all desperate to avoid any sort of eye contact with their new headmaster.

Just then Harpy waddled into the cafeteria, a single photo in her mouth. When she saw the giant green monster of a ghost her eyes went wide, her feathers ruffled up and she quickly went to Ra's side, giving him the picture. The mummy hurriedly crumpled it into a ball, and that's when Kibosh noticed.

"Hand that over," he demanded with an outstretched hand. Ra clutched the crumpled paper, his eyes wide in fright. As Kibosh started to float closer his brown eyes raced around the room and right before Kibosh seized it Ra threw it to Mantha who speedily jumped up and caught it.

"Keep away!" Ra shouted, and chaos erupted. Students were running all over the cafeteria and when they were a safe distance from Kibosh they would holler for the person with the photo to throw it to them. It turned into a huge, dangerous game of keep away with all the students desperate to keep the photo out of Kibosh's reach. From Mantha to Monaco, Mickey, Quasi, Flyboy, Mosshead, Triclops, Slither and to Pumpkinhead.

Casper floated up near the ceiling, his eyes solely on the paper, watching how the students pitched it to each other whenever Kibosh got too close for comfort. It was thrown to Thatch when Pumpkinhead got cornered by the big green ghost. Wolfie quickly grabbed the vampire's hand and tried to make a mad dash to the door with him, but of course, the adult ghost was much faster, blocking them from leaving as his patience for the students ran dangerously low. Kibosh grabbed Thatch by his cloak, assuring the vampire wouldn't run off.

"Enough! What are you hiding?" Kibosh demanded. Thatch went pale, staring up at Kibosh fearfully as he just froze, unable to turn away or throw the crumpled picture. He was like a deer in headlights, helpless. Wolfie whimpered, looking at the frozen vampire and the terrifying ghost. Something had to be done to protect Casper and Thatch, so Wolfie decided to do something unpredictable to protect his friends. He snatched the paper from Thatch and shoved it in his mouth.

One could see Wolfie desperately chewing, then swallow regrettably with a nauseated look on his face. Paper didn't taste that good after all. Kibosh seemed… disturbed or speechless… or both. He just looked at the werewolf and vampire, completely confused. "Did you just… Eat that?"

"Eat what?" Wolfie asked dumbly.

"The paper…?"

"What paper?"

"You gotta be kidding me." Kibosh groaned as he released Thatch. "What are you hiding!" He demanded, glaring down at the small werewolf.

"Nothing!" Wolfie backed up, his ears pressed back with his tail between his legs. "I-I plead the fifth." He whimpered.

Kibosh took a deep breath and looked around the room at all the students, silently judging them for a moment, then he seemed to relax. "All of you tried to hide… whatever that was… I admit that was some good teamwork- and as I see there is no harm done, I will let this slide." He decided after a few moments. Kibosh always could appreciate teamwork. Monster's working together for a common cause.

"DON'T!" Dummy Girl yelled as she entered the room, her tiny legs moving fast as she ran up to Kibosh. "Don't let them get away with this, they're all guilty!" She yelled.

"Of what?" He sighed softly, peering down at the small child. It was too early in the morning for all this crap.

"They're all hiding this!" She said as she held up a photo, her eyes narrowing as she looked at Casper and Thatch in disgust. "Isn't that just awful!" She claimed loudly. Kibosh took the picture into his hand, his red eyes carefully studying it. A dreaded hush fell over all the students, like a huge cloud of gloom. All their efforts were to waste now. Wolfie utterly deflated, his tail dragging the stone ground as he weakly whined in defeat, turning to Thatch sadly. It was all for nothing.

Thatch opened his mouth to disagree, but his shoulders slouched and he hung his head guiltily, waiting for his doomed fate. They were caught. Cats out of the bag. They were sure to be expelled or worse now. Thatch seemed to be giving up, after all, who were they to fight the leader of the underworld?

The towering green ghost deeply scowled and looked down at Thatch and Casper. "This is unacceptable." He spoke almost evenly as if the ghost was trying to keep his composure. "Thatch, Casper." He said determinedly, making the vampire recoil back at his own name.

Casper felt something overcome him. He flew to Thatch's side and firmly seized the vampire, holding him close. "I don't care!" He barked at the terrifying ghost. "I don't care if you find it unacceptable. Everyone but Dummy Girl accepts us here, we're not afraid! Thatch and I love each other, so what? What's wrong with loving someone?" Casper yelled defensively., allowing the vampire's head to rest on his chest. He wanted to keep thatch close, to hold him and protect him.

"How dare you raise your voice!"

"I don't care! I love Thatch, and nothing will change that." Casper snapped, tightly holding onto his Bat-Boy. He could feel Thatch shaking in fear, clinging to the ghost for comfort. When Thatch was weak, Casper would be strong. He would protect Thatch, even from Kibosh. "What's wrong with being friendly, or loving someone? As long as we scare the fleshies what does it matter between monsters."

"Don't raise your voice at me, Casper! You two will-"

"But he's right, isn't he, Kibosh?" A disciplined voice entered the room. Awareness turned to the newcomer, and many were just staring at the intruder in pure confusion, except for Kibosh, Slither, Casper, and Thatch. Clementine stood by the entrance, her watchful eyes analyzing the situation. "You're going to do what to those children, old friend?" She withdrew her hand from the door, letting it swing shut behind her. She raised her head up and gracefully strolled across the cafeteria floor, her hands gently folded in front of her as she walked. Casper could tell she clearly wanted to make herself known. She was dressed differently than he was used to seeing.

She was wearing a flowing, midnight black ball gown which dragged the floor behind her as she walked as if she was some sort of sophisticated queen. Clearly, Thatch got his style and attitude from his mother- no doubt now. Her dress had a sweetheart corset. Accented with white lace down her sides at the base of the skirt. Clementine had her black hair down, letting it pool down her shoulders and back like a dark river. She truly looked like a vampire, her violet eyes glowing dangerously. She certainly knew how to make an elegant introduction, was that something all vampires had to master, or was it natural?

"Clementine, you left your castle?" Kibosh asked in disbelief. He turned away from the students, seeming to be just in shock at the fact Clementine was here more than anything. It was like he was seeing an old friend for the first time in a long time.

"When my son called me in utter distress, questioning his father's love for him I left my home, yes." She seethed dangerously as she moved closer to the ghost, showing her sharp fangs to Kibosh. "After a hundred years I left my castle, coming to this awful school to see my baby bat being yelled at for loving someone. I remember a time when you loved someone, Kibosh!" She snapped as Kibosh allowed himself to float down, getting face to face with the intruding female. The female snatched the photograph out of Kibosh's hand, not even looking at it. She just didn't want the ghost to have it a second longer. Clementine then turned away from the ghost and her eyes fell upon Casper and Thatch. Casper slowly released Thatch, who just stared up at his mother wordlessly. Clementine fell to her knees, pulling Thatch into her protective arms, his head resting against her bosom as she brushed his hair back in a comforting manner. "My child, my sweet baby boy..." She whispered softly, pressing a kiss to his brow. "Don't you worry about a thing." She softly laughed, then looked at Casper. "You did a good job, I'm proud of you. Never thought I would say that to a ghost, not vince me and Kibosh… Well that's a long time ago."

"Clementine you're not allowed to-" Kibosh frowned deeply as the female cut him off.

"To be in this school? Does it look like I care? My son and his boyfriend have been assaulted, bullied and shunned. Now you are piling onto it! I want a word with you, alone."

"I'm not someone you can order around." He roared, the room shaking with Kibosh's powers. Clementine stood firm, placing herself between Kibosh and all the children as she released Thatch and stood up. She held her head high, meeting Kibosh's gaze with her own steady glare.

"You do not scare me, Kibosh… I remember a time when you were of so close to Arthur and Abigail." She moved closer, to the ghost, meeting his steady gaze now. Kibosh lowly growled like a feral beast, but after a cautious glance at the students, he made a motion before he started to head towards the exit.

Thatch quickly hurried forward and grabbed onto his mother's dress, looking up at her with desperate eyes. "Shh my bat," Clementine whispered. "Stay here with Casper and the others. You did a great job, I couldn't be prouder." She instructed, gently prying Thatch off of her before she turned and followed Kibosh out.

Casper watched with a curious gaze, and as they left the ghost could see the hostile air between Kibosh and Clementine almost disappear within seconds. Clementine giving Kibosh a smile as they started to talk, then the doors shut and Casper could no longer see them. As Casper and Thatch turned back to the students and all of them, including Dummy Girl, was utterly slack-jawed.


	34. A Manora Romance

Chapter 34: A Manora Romance

What could one do but wait? Everyone sat and waited in that lunchroom, eyes drifting from the clock to the door. It felt like a drawn out, tortuous eternity when in truth it was only a half hour. Casper could see Thatch was the most impatient. He kept pacing around, fiddling with his cloak nervously. A few times he would go to the door, open it and just peer out before he shut it and resumed his pacing. He was utterlty distressed.

Casper softly sighed, sitting between Ra and Mantha as he tried to decide what to do. Thatch's pacing was driving everyone insane but he understood the vampire was nervous, who wouldn't be? Thatch's poor, mourning mother was talking to the ruler of the Underworld. His mother, who hadn't dared step a foot outside in years had suddenly left her castle, the stone walls, the mortal world to come here- and to do what? Talk to the most terrifying ghost in the whole known universe! Thatch looked like he was about to be sick, and Casper could feel it too. Even Slither, the emotionless pale monster was rattling his tail. He was watching the vampire intensity like he wanted to say something, but fearful as if when he opened his mouth he might be sick.

Casper looked at Mantha for some sort of answer, and the zombie made a brief motion for Casper to go do something. The ghost shook his head and crossed his arms. He wanted to wait for Clementine and Kibosh to return, what could possibly a friendly ghost like himself do to help this situation?

"So… That was your mom?" Mosshead timidly piped up from his seat. Harpy squawked in curiosity as well, her huge eyes watching the vampire as his pacing stopped. When the pacing finally stopped the students naturally seemed more relaxed. The former bully was putting everyone on edge without even meaning to.

"Yeah, that was her…" Thatch muttered, his eyes narrowing as he took a more defensive stance, facing the students with his back to the door like he was some sort of guard. Casper could understand it, to Thatch, his mother was a queen, royalty that needed to be protected and praised. Vampires were so... weird.

"She was pretty," Wolfie commented, trying to lighten Thatch's mood. Wolfie wanted to keep on friendly terms with the vampire. After Thatch had panicked and took him to the nurse the werewolf found himself more caring towards the vampire, even if they had despised each other before.

"She's more than 'pretty'." Thatch replied coldly, probably without even meaning to. "She's an utter grace, a queen of her time! She used to have an army of maids to obey her every order, she ruled with an iron fist but had a kind heart to those who deserved it." Thatch started to rave. The students were all listening, curious. Homelife was rarely discussed at school, so it was natural for students to wonder about other people's family, especially if they were a different type of monster.

"Tell us more," Mosshead muttered, and his words were met with a general agreement from the students. "How is she so brave to stand up to Kibosh? They seemed like they knew each other."

"They do," the young vampire said proudly. "Kibosh and my dad used to work together. Mom often baked cookies and stuff for when he dropped by." Thatch grinned. "Mom and dad are very respectable after all, some of the best vampires in the world! Mom's very reserved though. She doesn't like to leave her home… In fact, she hasn't left home in over a hundred years…" He muttered, his gaze drifting back to the door, but the students didn't seem done with the vampire, their curiosity getting the better of them.

"Tell us more about your home!" Quasi called out. At this point, Casper was getting a bit done with everyone questioning his vampire. Casper rose from his seat and walked over to Thatch, gently taking his hand to give Thatch some comfort, and just to pull his attention away from the distressing situation.

"Come, sit with me. Pacing won't make the time pass any faster." He softly spoke. Thatch looked reluctant, but the blue-eyed ghost guided Thatch back to their table despite their classmate's groans, then Dummy Girl had to go and ruin it all.

"I don't see the big fuss. She's just a dumb, dusty old vampire. She wasn't even that pretty. She looked like some crusted old clay doll!" She shrilly laughed. No one joined in.

Casper grabbed onto Thatch's arm to hold the vampire back, but he couldn't stop him. Thatch yanked free and pretty much lunged at Dummy Girl, knocking her over and onto the floor. He started to hit her repeatedly, pulling her fake hair and letting the old English insults flow from his mouth. Casper quickly flew over, trying to pull the vampire right off of the idiotic puppet. "Thatch no, she's not worth it! Leave her, Thatch!" The ghost pleaded, but his words weren't getting through. To Casper's surprise, he was almost pulling Thatch off, but he just couldn't separate the two. Living vampires actually weren't that strong, maybe that's why Thatch always tried to act all big and bad.

"Thatch, come on man," Ra hopped up and hurried over, helping Casper dragged the vampire off of the living puppet, who scrambled to her feet and took off running to the back of the cafeteria in pure tears. "Come on man, she's just an idiot, leave her be." Ra tried to comfort the vampire as Casper clung to him, letting the vampire's head rest upon his chest. This method seemed to work for calming Thatch.

"There we go," Casper softly whispered, smiling at the vampire. "Come on, how about you keep talking about your mom? Tell everyone how amazing she is, forget what Dummy Girl said." Casper decided. The ghost wanted to prove that dumb living puppet wrong at every turn, to shut down her options and make her feel like an utter fool. Besides, talking about Thatch's mom seems to calm the vampire anyways.

Thatch took a deep, calming breath as he lifted his head, flexing his hands out like he was trying his best not to make fists anymore, he was probably imagining beating Dummy Girl up again. "Okay… Sure," the vampire whispered as he slowly pulled away. Casper kissed the vampire's cheek real quick before he moved back, watching as Thatch resumed his nervous pacing in front of the crowd.

"Well, my mom can do a lot of things a normal vampire does… She's strong, fast and can even read the minds of mortals- normal vampire stuff." He shrugged the thought off. "The actual vampire stuff I find rather boring to explain, we'll skip over that." Thatch decided. "Mom is a great negotiator. Even when mortals turn on their own kind, dividing themselves by their sex she was well respected." He recalled fondly. "It was her intelligence and status that captured my dad, who was just a pitiful commoner with dreams of being an inventor. Mom was the daughter of a wealthy man who owned several farms and hundreds of workers to do the farm work for him. Mom tells me this story all the time," he explained at the confused looks. "And yes, my parents were once fleshies. After all, that's how most vampires are." His gaze went back to the ghost, who could only watch with a fond look and motion for him to continue.

"My dad was ahead of his time, a genius stuck in a terrible place. The rich wanted to stay rich. The rich also wanted to keep the poor poor, out of the way and under their thumb. Dad was born pitifully poor, but with a mind of a prodigy, he was determined to break out of his status and become one of the wealthiest men in the world with his inventions. He worked a pitiful job, shared a home with other poor people and was honestly not in a good place... When my dad first saw my mom he was utterly enthralled with her. He urged her father for permission to court her, but seeing as my dad was an utter nobody he was turned away at the gates…"

Vincent sighed pitifully, gazing through the barred entrance to the enchanting mansion laid far back on the plot of land. The beautiful stone steps led up to the large oak doors, engraved with gold and silver trim. The dozens of tulips that lined the path were in full bloom, he could smell their sweet scent from the gates. He could see workers unloading carriages of food and packing them through the side entrance, most likely to the kitchen. His hands gripped the cold iron bars, and after a moment he let out a frustrated yell and shook the gate, the clattering metal making quite the ruckus. The guards that had just tossed him out turned back around, for they had started to march back to the building after tossing him out and locking the ironed gates Vincent was now shaking.

"Leave intruder, or else you will be arrested!" One of them warned harshly. Vincent growled, but knowing better than to get into trouble he turned away from the beautiful gates and left, heading down the well-laid cobblestone road as he started his long tedious walk back into town. Oh, this dreadful town where the rich were rich and the poor fought for scraps of food. One was lucky to get a job.

Vincent glared at the ground, seeing his pitiful worn shoes with the hole in the side. His clothes were awful too. Gray stained pants, a ripped up white button-up shirt. He was an utter pity to look at, a failure. He had no fancy clothes which he dreamed of, no nice hat, tailored suit or a walking cane. He was a man in rags. Vincent dragged himself back into a small shoe shop, going through the back door of course so no one would spot him- as was required by his fat wealthy boss. He sat down in his common seat, his eyes narrowing as he begrudgingly got to work repairing prosperous men's shoes. He knew he was made for so much more than this, he wanted to be famous, a grand inventor with an actual future, not some dumb assistant shoemaker… guy. He had dozens of plans swirling in his head, grand plans and he knew they would work if he just looked the part.

Vincent sighed heavily, his eyes drifting around the small workshop. He needed to get out of here. He peered down at the shoes he was repairing, nearly complete. He turned them over in his hands, examining their size. They could fit him…

After a quick glance around he hurriedly repaired them, then removed his old shoes and slipped on the repaired and nicely polished black shoes. They looked so much better, but his outfit was still an insult. So, he grabbed his favorite bag where he carried his personal belongings and rushed out of the workshop. He hurried down the street, rushing through the back allies to avoid being seen. As he drew close to the tailor shop he slowed down, hiding behind piles of garbage that the shops always tossed out carelessly. He knew this tailor shop, this is the same shop all the rich men go to, with their golden cufflinks and big potbellied guts.

His eyes narrowed and he stayed in wait, watching and biding his time. The little boy working at the tailor shop opened the back door, dragging out a large crate, the wood making a horrible screeching sound as it scraped against the stone. The small lad panted and groaned, straining his back. It was despicable how these shops would 'employ' orphans to save the quick buck. The only things they gave the poor children was a meal a day, but it was better than starving so many of them accepted the work. Vincent slowly stepped out as the boy was distracted, slipping into the tailor shop. He hurriedly looked around. He could hear people in the front room, the owner chatting them up like rich men often do.

Vincent rolled his eyes, quickly searching the racks of clothes that have been sent in to be modified, mostly around the stomach region due to rich people often getting fat because they didn't know how to stop guzzling down loads of fancy food. But these would suit him, he found a suit that nearly matched his dream look. The white buttoned up shirt with a nicely embroidered chest pocket and the long black coat with a pocket just for a pocket watch!

He snatched a fine shirt and tailored coat off one rack, and a nice slick pair of dress pants off another. As he turned to leave he came face to face with the small boy. His mouth was agape in shock, and Vincent's heart plummeted. He was going to call him out.

"Oh no no, no don't." He quickly kneeled before the boy, taking his smaller hands in his own. "No screaming, this looks bad but I swear it's not. If you keep this a secret, between you and me I'll be sure to repay you one day." He spoke smoothly, letting his accent slip out with ease.

"You're stealing."

"Borrowing, let's call it that young lad." He said easily, patting the back of his hand and flashed a charming smile. "I'm just borrowing, don't worry." He then ruffled the lad's dirty short hair before he took off running, leaving the boy slack-jawed and confused at the choice he had been left with. Vincent had no time to care, he just stole from two different stores so he had to make his plan quick. He ran all the way home, to his dingy, pitiful home which he shared with another pitiful family. He ignored the family of 5, rushing to his own room, his only room where he could be alone. He shut the door and locked it, a relieved sigh escaping him.

He tossed his stolen goods onto the old bed, letting his fingers brush through his messy brown hair, his tired green eyes looking around the filthy room. He made a face, noticing the rat in the corner eating some bread that he forgot to hide away. Great…

The only pleasure he had was in his books. Reading books and his journal, filled with inventions he dreamed to make. He picked up one of his favorite books, opening the red silken cover and smiling as his fingers move across the soft paper, his eyes soaking in the black ink. He would memorize these books, how the rich men speak. He would mimic their words, their manners, and their looks. Appearance was purely everything…

And so he studied and practice for months, never once going to his old shoemaking job. He often made deals with the family, giving them what little money he had for them to go out and fetch him food so he could stay hidden. Apparently, the boy never ratted him out, and since the shoe shop had a reputation to keep they didn't report the theft to the police, just replacing the missing shoes with ease.

When he emerged from that pitiful filthy room, he was a new man.

Vincent Manora, the inventor.

"My dad went out into the world, using his newfound skills to charm rich men into hiring him to create things, from simple carriages to complex chandeliers, all pastimes as he saved every coin for the beautiful dream he envisioned. His first invention was a pure hit, and his name became known all over the mortal world!" Thatch said excitedly. The class was watching in awe, entrance with Thatch's story. "Before long he was rich, even paying for a whole castle to be built deep in a forest for his private work. Then… Once he had almost everything, he went back to my mom's dad, asking to court her once again. How could he say no? With my granddad's permission, he went to court her… But my mom was really not interested in the slightest."

"If you try to give me flowers one more time I'll throw a hive of bees at you, they need those flowers more than I!" Clementine yelled from her balcony, glaring down at Vincent as he kneeled in the garden, a dozen roses in his hands. "Now off with you, before I call my guards!" The beautiful maiden rested her hands on the railing, leaning against it as she glared down at Vincent in disdain. Her lovely blue eyes were narrowed in a cold cruel glare. Her tanned skin soaked in the light of day, making a beautiful compliment to the glowing white gown she wore. Her blond hair was curled beautifully, flowing down her shoulders.

"My lady please if you would only meet with me-"

"I will not be handed off to some stranger!" She yelled down at him, leaning over the railing. "You and all my other suitors can go jump in the lake, maybe some moss monster would eat you and save me some grief!" She then turned around, marching back into her room and slamming the fancy french doors behind herm making the glass panes shutter with the force.

Vincent flinched back, then let a heavy sigh escape him. One day he would win her heart, she will be his! He stood up, his eyes narrowing as he watched her door for a minute more before he willingly left, returning back to the private workspace he got in the town nearby just so he had an excuse to go see his dear Clementine.

As he entered he smiled as the oh so familiar orphan boy from the tailor shop greeted him with a big smile. He now wore clean clothes, and Vincent made sure he had three meals a day. He did say he would repay the child, and he kept his word. "Anything to report," he questioned as he headed over to his desk. The boy quickly followed, having to almost run after the adult male.

"No one came by sir, besides the shipment you ordered. You're back awful early, did the meeting not go well?" He asked knowingly.

"Ah, she rejected me once more." He grumbled as he tossed the flowers onto the desk. The orphan boy made a face at the flowers, then looked to Vincent.

"Well, what have you tried?"

"I've tried everything in the books. Gifts and flattery mean nothing to her."

"Have you gone on a date?"

"How can I when she refuses to leave that room of hers!"

"Well… Did you talk to her?"

"Talk to her? How can I? She refuses all my advances."

"I mean talk to her, not flirt. Surely you two have just... chatted? Like about I dunno... food and stuff. This girl I like loves books, and we spend the most nights just talking about them for hours on end." The orphan boy said dreamily.

Vincent frowned, picking up a quill and lazily toying with the feathered end. "I… No, I suppose not."

"So you don't talk to her… If you two don't talk, that makes you strangers. The Mistress at the orphanage says never to talk to strangers. She's just being safe, sir. Maybe you need to be her friend first."

"I'm just following what the books say, what they all say women like!"

"Well, maybe she's a different type." The boy offered, picking up the roses. "I think you need to be friends first… How do you know you even like her?"

"She's beautiful and-"

"Who cares about that? What about her do you like?"

"She's kind and… Listen, lad, everything isn't a fairytale. Sometimes the emotional bonds have to wait for a little bit, that's how most marriages between the wealthy go."

"Who cares about wealth, and why can't this be a fairytale?" He questioned. "Sir if I may, just be yourself and work for her heart, not her hand." He advised with a sweet smile.

"Who knew a human fleshie, let alone a child could give my dad such good advice!" Thatch hummed, now sitting on the floor. The students had all moved, sitting in a semi-circle around Thatch, besides Dummy Girl. She had moved back to the tables, her arms crossed over her chest as she listened. Casper had taken his rightful spot beside the vampire as he told his story. There wasn't a better spot in the room than in Thatch's arms.

"Did your dad finally get to your mom?" Mickey questioned.

"It took a lot more work…"

Vincent sighed softly, straightening his tailored coat as he walked up to the large mansion. He couldn't help but smirk as the guards let him by. Course they didn't recognize him as that pitiful poor man, but he recognized them oh so easily. It was so satisfying to see them bow their heads as he passed by. He made it so far. He knew he was a successful man. He started off on uneven ground, but he paid back the two shops her stole from three times the amount the items he stole were worth. All was forgiven when they saw how far up the social ladder he made.

As he walked towards the large wooden doors two butlers opened them for him, allowing him inside without ever once slowing his step.

"Sir!" He greeted kindly as he saw Clementine's father. He walked over, taking his hand fondly. "Thank you for inviting me to dinner. I believe you have a request for me?" Vincent questioned innocently. The older man chuckled and nodded.

"Oh yes, my good sir." He started as he guided Vincent to their dining hall. "I heard you're good with your hands, and I need some work done around my home. I know this seems below such as man as you, and you're probably questioning why I don't just hire a simple handyman… But my trust in the common folk is low and I much rather have you use your expertise and help me."

"I perfectly understand," Vincent softly laughed as the pair took their seats near the head of the table. To his surprise he saw none other than Clementine walk in, the woman he was courting no more than a month ago… But to his own surprise, he turned his gaze away from her beauty and back to her father. "What do you need done?" He asked calmly.

As the father droned on about basic repair tasks around the house Clementine took her seat to her father's left, opposite of Vincent as several butlers carried in trays of food for their dinner. While Vincent was tempted to stare at Clementine's beauty, he turned his gaze away and tried to focus on the work that was being discussed. He needed to show he wasn't like any suitors, and what if the boy was right? What if he and Clementine wasn't the perfect match he dreamed about?

The air seemed peaceful, the most peaceful he had ever felt around Clementine besides their first brief meeting in the city, where he first found himself entranced with her beauty. Course that was when he was poor, nothing more than a pile of filthy rags compared to her. But he remembered how her eyes lingered on him, how she offered a smile before her personal escort lead her back into the carriage.

"And that's generally all. Think you can do it?" The old man asked tiredly as he lazily poked at his fancy food. Vincent managed a weak smile. He honestly wasn't that hungry.

"Yes, sir. I can get all that done right away. I can start tomorrow-"

"Perhaps!" He said excitedly. "You'll start up in Clementine's room tomorrow. Her french doors have an awful big crack in them, the hinges are even loose. No clue how that happened." He said simply, his gaze drifting over to his daughter for a few moments. Vincent knew the man was trying to play matchmaking. The wealthy married the wealthy, that's how the world turned but… He didn't want to be a pawn for his father. If it was meant to be it would be on his and Clementine's own terms.

"I believe it's the wind, father." She mumbled softly as she watched Vincent, her eyes narrowing. Vincent just chuckled softly, tilting his head to the side. He had a feeling him and many other suitors lead to the broken doors. Seems the beauty had a short temper.

"The wind has been strong this season. I'll fix them right away, it'll be a shame if there was a draft in your room. You might get sick-"

"I'm stronger than I look. I'm only worried about the conditions of my books."

"Well, I'll be sure to get to that." He cleared his throat and stood up. "As amazing as this food all looks, I need to head home so I can be well rested tomorrow."

"Oh yes my lad, hurry along." The father softly laughed, waving as Vincent turned and simply left, leaving Clementine in confusion as she watched her former suitor just leave without giving her a glance.

The next day Vincent was early to rise, grabbing his box of tools and headed to the large mansion excitedly. Any chance to improve relations with his family was a step further into his future, plus he needed a break from his workshop. He was completely stuck on his latest idea. So a simple mind-numbing task of repairing things might be nice.

He was let in just like the day before and escorted by an old butler to Clementine's room. She was resting in a rocking chair in a comfortable corner of her room which had at least 5 floor to ceiling bookcases, completely stuffed and overflowing with books. She glanced up when her door was opened, but upon seeing Vincent she turned her nose up and went back to reading, his presence not interesting her in the slightest.

Vincent didn't take it to heart, he knew he had made a horrible first impression on the young woman, it was in her every right to be defensive. And so, he silently went to the french doors and kneeled beside them as he set his bag of tools down.

"They wouldn't have gotten into this state if you would have left me be." She spoke with pure venom on her tongue.

"I must agree to that," he noted calmly. "And you are stronger than you look to have done this much damage to the hinges, they're pretty bent out of shape."

"I didn't lie."

"And I believe you…" He continued. He glanced back at her, his eyes drifting to the book she held in her delicate hands. "That's a good book."

"Oh please, as if you've read this masterpiece." She scoffed softly.

"Oh, you doubt me?"

"Men don't read romance."

"Most men. I suppose I'm just different." He joked. "I rather enjoy romance. I spent many afternoons reading those books." He recalled.

"I found romance terribly boring. They're all the same… But this one is well written, despite the awful plot." She groaned, rocking back in her chair. "Man finds woman pretty, decides he wants to own her. She magically falls in love with his brute-like behavior. It's boring, repetitive and sickening. At least it isn't as bland as the rest."

"You're very outspoken for a lady."

"And you're well dressed for a nobody, Vincent." She frowned deeply. "I hate this costume you wear," she replied snarkily.

"Costume?" He frowned and turned to her, his shoulders set back to straighten his appearance as if she had just offended his pride and he felt the need to defend it. "This is a finely tailored suit!"

"You had more personality as a pitiful dirt covered man in the streets. At least then your smile was real and you didn't use such fake flattering words." She slammed the book shut and placed it on the nearest shelf as she rose from her seat. "Now you're like all the rich suitors. Selfish." she almost hissed.

Vincent seemed lost for words at first, none of his books could help him in his situation... so he spoke from his heart. "My words and looks might have changed, but I'm still the same man." He muttered as he rose. "I'm surprised you even recognize me."

"I only recognize you at dinner last night, when I saw your eyes… I could never forget your eyes." She approached him, carefully watching the stranger with a distrusting gaze. "It sickens me how you've changed."

"Clementine… Let us be civil, perhaps even friends? I won't pursue your hand any longer." Vincent spoke softly. "I rather get to know you for you, not just because you're beautiful. I can see you're an astonishing brilliant. I wish to know you better," he saw her gaze turn away and he hastily spoke, "I haven't changed, I swear."

"... We'll see if you're true to your word."

"My mom was a very unyielding woman, closed off and stern." Thatch said fondly. "She made things laborious for my poor dad," he chuckled and nudged Casper, who blushed and looked off. "But in the end, they became close friends, and actually my dad was perfectly satisfied with that. It was my mom that asked if he wished to marry her." He recollected.

"Telling stories, little prince?" Clementine hummed as she stepped out of the shadows. Kibosh came through the wall, calmly following the lady as if this was a common occurrence. "You've seem very fond of that one," she continued easily.


	35. Planning To Move

Chapter 35: Planning to Move

"Mom!" Thatch stood up, but he didn't run to her. He lingered where he was, and when Casper stood he quickly clutched the ghost's hand as he nervously watched the two adults. As much as he wanted to run into his mother's arms, he felt the obligation to stay beside Casper. The other students were rather rigid as well, watching the two adults.

"Everything is okay now," she spoke evenly as she looked up at Kibosh, who approved.

"Clementine Manora and I have changed the structure of the school. She told me HeadMaster is… outdated?" He glanced at her, and she only nodded calmly. "So now I'm a Principle, and she is the Vice Principal. She has many plans on making this school better… And on Friday this week Scare School will be moved to a different location." At this, gasps of enthusiasm erupted from the students. Moved, but where? The second Wolfie raised his hand to ask they continued on.

"My home is deep, deep in the mortal world, hidden away by a strong power. The castle is large and has more than enough space for you students," as Clementine spoke she opened her arms in a welcoming gesture. "With this, we will also stop preying upon the people of Deedstown. We have haunted and scared in that location too much, as seen by the monster hunter that has been trying to fight us off. Outside the forest where my home resides is another town, ready to be haunted after not seeing monsters for a very long time. A new school and new hunting grounds. Lessons will continue as normal, until the day of the move. On that day we will all help pack our belongings and school supplies, then we will leave Scare School as it is restored and refurbished, which is long overdue."

"She can't do that!" Dummy Girl yelled, and some hushed yet confused agreed mutters echoed. Clementine only smiled and let Kibosh move forward. She had no desire to talk to the little brat.

"She can and is because I asked her to. For years this school has needed a good to remodel, a little upgrade to assure you students have the best learning experience to scare fleshies!"

Clementine cleared her throat. "Humans…" She gently spoke. "He means humans… Students, when this school opened so many hundreds of years ago the founder's goal was to assure to distance monsters from the humans as much as they can. They wrote their own textbooks, trying to make humans seem as foreign and strange as possible, different from us. Kibosh and I had agreed long ago this was outdated and needed to be changed. I'll be providing new books about humans, and Kibosh has actually written his own book about how to scare humans much more effectively than your books do now. Your education will benefit from this change, and I'm sure a change in environment will broaden your minds… Plus, Kibosh has brought it to everyone's attention some of you are unlocking your true potential!"

"And with this, we'll need a new place. I doubt this building can handle any more chaos before the remodel." He muttered as he looked around the old cafeteria. "We are very lucky to have this opportunity. I've been asking Clementine for years to allow this. Now then… There is nothing else to discuss. I have work to do to settle these new plans. Clementine, mind answering any questions they have?"

"Of course, Kibosh." She replied loyally. Kibosh nodded and turned to leave when Dummy Girl stomped her foot. He stopped and hovered back, watching calmly to see how Clementine would handle this. Kibosh was a curious ghost, and clearled wondered how Clementine would react under pressure after years of isolation.

"Wait, what about Thatch and Casper! Being friendly isn't allowed!"

"Oh what an outdated idea!" Clementine actually laughed, a cruel and cold look briefly crossing her eyes before she masked it with mock amusement. "What a silly thing. Again, the founders wanted to assure monsters were scary, so they had some very harsh and dumb rules. As long as monsters are scaring humans and assuring the balance there is no need to be cruel to each other…. Now, it's the weekend. If any of you have homework, you should go." She spoke easily, but no one left. Clementine calmly looked at all the children, then nodded in understanding. "You all have questions… Very well," she decided and walked over to one of the lunch tables, carefully sitting down with her back to the table so she was still facing the students. "I will answer the ones I want to."

"Was Thatch's story true?" Wolfie piped up instantly, his tail wagging with excitement. Clementine gave the werewolf an odd look before she nodded.

"Yes, he was telling you how his father and I met."

"Will we meet Mr. Manora?" Quasi asked next. All the students were moving now, sitting before Clementine, except for Dummy Girl who didn't move from where she was standing, probably in shock at the turn of events.

Clementine paused at the question, a dark look covering her face. "... No, you won't. My husband died a long time ago…" Her eyes drifted off for a moment but was brought back to the present as Thatch went and sat on the bench right beside his mother. Clementine smiled, placing her arms around the vampire, holding him close. "And if you all are worried about favoritism, I assure you that won't be an issue. If anything I'll be harsher on Thatch than any of you."

"Mooom!" Thatch complained, but his mother just smiled and ignored his whining. "We have a lot to reteach you about humans. Course when we first change schools you will finish all your current units. I'll be talking with Dr. Burns about making you all retake the human unit with updated information." The students all groaned. Months of studying for nothing! "And," she continued easily, raising her hands ever so silently as she effortlessly shushed the students. "I'll be helping teach the unit since I'll also be showing Dr. Burns new teaching techniques that do not involve burning 'F's into the papers he disagrees with." As she spoke her eyes drifted over to Casper. Casper was utterly perplexed. He never told her about that. But the way Thatch avoided his eyes answered the ghost. Seems Thatch talked to his mom anytime and about anything.

"When we first arrive at my home we'll need to spruce it up a bit, but such a task is easy... Especially when a certain vampire discovers one of his powers." She almost cooed, resting a hand on Thatch's shoulder. As much as Thatch adored his mother, this was embarrassing. He covered his face and groaned, shrinking in on himself. Clementine seemed to have no issue bothering her child, course every parent does this. She then handed the photograph back to Thatch, humming. "This will do well in a scrapbook one day, best you two start making one. Also, Dummy Girl, until we change schools you are completely in charge of cleaning the incinerator and attic." She spoke coldly. "As punishment for littering the entire school and forcing the other students to clean up your mess."

"That isn't fair, Kibosh, s-sir?" She looked to the green ghost for help, but she got none...

"You best listen to the Vice Principal... Now then, I have work to attend to." He said easily. "I'll see you around," he spoke to Clementine as the ghost floated over briefly.

"I'll see you soon, Kibosh." She assured him as she stood up, giving him a gentle hug before Kibosh floated out. Casper was slack jawed, along with many students. She hugged Kibosh?

"Miss?" Mickey started calmly. "Can you like, tell us more stories?"

"Wait, finish the one Thatch started!" Monaco spoke up. "I adore love stories."

"Not now little ones." She gently spoke, softly laughing. "Please, we must enjoy our weekend. You should all study and clean up a bit. The week will go swiftly." She assured them as she got to her feet. Thach stood up right away, as if he was glued to her side. She didn't seem to mind in the slightest. Casper wanted Thatch to stay by him, but he had a feeling he should let the vampire be with his mother for a bit. So, the ghost floated over to Ra and Mantha with a tired, but content smile.

"This was… insane." Casper finally spoke. Mantha nodded, seeming a bit out of it in general. Ra looked at Casper, carefully studying him.

"Insane? That was kinda chaos… but fun." Ra decided in the end. "Now we get to see Thatch's place like you did."

"I wonder how far away it is…" Mantha softly muttered, her arms crossed across her chest. "And she said something about new books right? That sounds pretty cool to me."

"You just love books." Casper softly laughed. He was still in a bit of shock, but slowly relief was sweeping over him. The weight of his worry was listed off and casted aside. He had his friends, they were safe and everyone was allowed to be friendly now. What more could he asked for, honestly? A rough morning made perfect. "Let's go back to our room… I'm exhausted."

"Agreed."

"How are you two tired?" Mantha scolded. "There is so much to do if we're changing schools!" She tried to defend, but this was a losing fight and she could tell. So the zombie was willing to guide the two back to their dorms. "I'll keep looking for that key. I'm sure we'll find it," she commented as Ra climbed back into his nice cool stone 'bed'. The mummy only weakly let out a sound of agreement as he shut the lid. Mantha just smiled and looked to Casper who had flopped down on his own bed, holding the photo close. "Poor Ra must be so tired… He normally needs a lot of rest in the first place; a mummy thing I guess."

"Yeah," Casper tiredly noted. "Why do mummies get so tired while vampires are light sleepers? Why do you act normal despite being undead?" His mind was wondering despite his sluggish thoughts.

"Casper, that is a lot of questions I can't answer. Every monster is just different."

"Why doesn't Ra fall apart like you?"

"Because of his bandages, and when he died he was preserved in such a way to keep his body together." She said confidently. "Now then, aren't you tired? You were just whining about it." She teased. Casper faintly smiled and nodded as he snuggled into the pillow, letting Mantha pull the blanket over him.

"Thank you Mantha," he whispered. The zombie smiled fondly as she walked out, seeming to be in a pepper mood.


	36. Moving

Chapter 36: Moving

The week went by impossibly quick, dumbly fast. Their lessons were a blur, Mr. Burns went through a few more students, Monaco and Mickey, Fly-boy, Quasi, and Mosshead even. They only got 4 days, so only 4 types of students they got to review. The last day, Friday was entirely committed to packing, meaning Ra's lesson got delayed until they could get settled into their new establishment. They would have the whole weekend to settle in and clean up the castle, then Monday it was right back to their lessons. The students had very few belongings- a suitcase at most, but they were put to work the second they finished with their dorms. They had to clean up the dishes in the cafeteria to help out the lunch lady, books from the library were being packed into crates and dust being brushed off after years of negligence… Though what every student did not know was that Clementine was outside with all their old textbooks on humans, forcing Dr. Burns to set them aflame as Kibosh watched.

Casper just tried to focus and work. Since he could fly he and Fly-Boy were forced to take books off the higher shelves. Thatch had to use his newfound powers as a giant broom, having to go into every classroom, office, and hallway and open the windows to get all the dustout, letting the light in for once. The school looked so different from the changes. It was being emptied and cleaned, and now it didn't seem so terribly creepy. It was just old and neglected. He wondered what it would look like when they returned, but all the students were wondering that. With the newfound light, he also noticed a lot of cracks in the stone.

Several times Casper had come across a group of students whispering to each other about the changes and the strange adult vampire. They even asked the friendly trio, plus Slither about Thatch's mother. None of Casper's friends could answer, and the friendly ghost refused to. He didn't know if it was his place to speak of such things. He rather kept his mouth shut to be on the safe side. He didn't want to betray Thatch in any way, and seeing how Thatch was about his home life, why would he take the gamble? Thatch was crazy protective over his mother.

Box after box, crate after crate, and then barrel after barrel of supplies was placed into the ship's cargo hold, which was filled with dust and spider webs from years of... General forgetfulness on Cappy's part. Then again the captain couldn't see, so no one could blame the blind pirate. The ship was stuffed with supplies, and as the sun set the students were gathered up, sitting on the benches placed on the upper deck. Clementine stood near the wheel with Kibosh, holding a black umbrella to keep her in the shade in case the sun was still up when they left the underworld. Only human-world light harmed vampires, as Thatch explained while they were cleaning awhile ago.

Thatch was sitting beside Casper, tightly holding his hand as he was pretty much bouncing in his seat. Casper knew why Thatch was excited, he had the same mindset. The comfortable bedroom, the strawberry shortcakes and the dance in the empty ballroom, all theirs. They could do it all again, and they didn't have to worry or hide it. They could be them, be together. not even Kibosh could get in their way now. The ghost let a relieved sigh escape him as all the teachers boarded the ship, standing around the railing instead of sitting down. Casper could see they were just as worried as many of the students. But Kibosh seemed so sure of this choice. Who were they to ask questions?

As the ship took off the students excitement was brimming, the pirate ship soaring through the air and towards the portal. It got even more extreme when Clementine raised her hand, and an almost see-through sphere surrounded the ship. It was scarcely noticeable, just the light glimmering off of it gave it away to the people inside the bubble. Kibosh whispered to Clementine, causing the two to both chuckle. Kibosh playfully nudged the female vampire before he put his strict expression right back onto his big green face.

Then the ghost turned around to face the students. "It'll be a long trip to our new home. Relax and enjoy the trip, because when we get there it'll be a lot of work." He warned sternly, his arms crossed over his broad chest.

"Sir?" Ra raised his hand. Kibosh nodded to the mummy so Ra continued. "What is this bubble thing?" He asked, looking around the ship with curious eyes. Casper found it odd that Ra seemed interested in vampire magic, but then again... magic. Of course, Ra was interested.

"You can do it too Ra, when you're older." Clementine softly spoke, giving the young child a gentle smile. "Vampires, mummies, witches and a few other creatures can cast spells or hexes. This is a simple protection spell, it keeps us concealed from prying eyes. The location of our school is strictly secret, a human must never be allowed to find it, or else... Since we will now live in the human world rules will be stricter and enforced harshly. It is best if you obey them." she spoke firmly, her violet eyes narrowing as she looked at the young monsters. Casper squeezed Thatch's hand gently, but he oddly didn't feel fearful unlike the rest of the students, whose excitement was gone and replaced with worry. As she addressed the students, the ship navigated through the portal, causing it to shake a bit. Casper could hear the sound of the supplies below deck crashing a bit, he hoped nothing broke.

The sun was just setting in the human world, causing Clementine to hiss in discomfort, taking a step back into the shade of the large sail, despite still holding her umbrella close. It was always better to be safe than sorry.

Thatch almost got up from his seat right there if it wasn't for her shaking her head at him. "I'm fine…" Was all she could say, she didn't even turn to look at her child. Thatch didn't look like he believed her, but she wasn't smoking and didn't seem hurt, so the child monster had to listen and stayed put beside his ghost boyfriend. Casper laced his arm with Thatch's, leaning against his side to give the vampire some comfort. It seemed to work because Thatch let a faint smile show.

The trip was long, longer than Casper remembered. Maybe it was because Cappy SUCKED at taking commands from Clementine AND Kibosh. It left the two trying to reason with the parrot to try to guide Cappy. Honestly, at one point, Casper thought for sure Kibosh was just going to take the wheel or shoot them out of the sky with lightning. But the ghost seemed to be holding his temper pretty well.

But, Casper couldn't help but get excited as he saw the city… or er, more like a small town. Casper got out of his seat and hurried over to the railing of the ship, his smile so wide it made his cheeks sore. Over the town, they sailed, then over the dark forest with the towering trees. He could see nothing but forest at first, then in the far, far distance, he saw a lake. He wanted to look at it more, and to his delight, Clementine was telling Cappy to sail for it.

Casper looked back at Thatch, who was clinging to his seat because he knew how Cappy was... Oh right. OH SHIT.

Casper dived back for his seat, clinging to it as the ship tipped forward suddenly and dived down. The students yelled loudly as they were shaken around, some nearly sliding out of their seats. Kibosh made to support Clementine, but she never once moved. It was like her feet were suction cupped to the wooden deck. Casper wishes he could do that. The ship shuttered and yanked, jerking back as it hit the surface of the lake, bouncing a bit because Cappy went in far too fast due to the unfamiliar setting.

Then, they just drifted on the lake surface towards the shore. But as they neared the shallows Clementine ordered the ship to drop anchor, and so it was done. Flying was fine for some students, but some of them couldn't fly so the adults were being given odd looks by all the students. There was no rowboat on the ship, and they had items to unpack and carry.

But they only followed orders given by Kibosh, heading below deck to get their belongings as they should. Casper was disappointed to see some boxes were knocked around, even a few cracked open. It was mostly the library books, and now their order was all jumbled up. They would be forced to sort the books all over again- they had tried to keep them in somewhat order as they packed them away.

But the books were for a later time. Casper sighed softly and grabbed his bag of belongings while Ra fussed over his sarcophagus, making sure there wasn't a single scratch... Or crack in this case. Ra's sarcophagus and Thatch's coffin were tucked away into a corner, away from everything and they were even strapped down to prevent them from moving. They seemed fine to Casper, so the ghost shrugged and headed back up the stairs.

By the time they got back on deck, there was a whole dock just… THERE. A whole wooden dock was right up by the ship's side, Cappy's ramp already down and ready for them. Casper did note the dock looked old and utterly soaked, moss even covered it- the deck had been below the water's surface, and was raised? How was it raised? Magic? But Casper had to remind himself Thatch's dad was an inventor. Did his dad… make some sort of machine that makes a dock rise when needed? If so there had to be a switch, but where?

"Come along!" Kibosh boomed as the students started to surround the ramp, but none of them attempting to be first… Expect Thatch. Thatch was the last to leave below deck, and when he did he shouldered his way through the crowd as he carried his black backpack, the only thing he needed for now. He confidently walked down the ramp and onto the soggy docks. His mother was waiting for them all on the beach already, her umbrella closed and used as a walking stick now. The second Thatch had stepped into the docks the students were much more willing to follow. Casper promptly followed, having a bit of difficulty raising his suitcase but he didn't mind. He hastened back to Thatch's side, hovering just off the wooden docks. Thatch looked at Casper, then flashed his big pearly grin, happy that Casper was right by his side now.

"I didn't know there was a lake around here," Casper softly whispered, anxiously glancing around the soaked wooden docks. He felt better when they reached solid land, actually letting his feet touch the ground. Clementine started to lead them down an overgrown path. Kibosh was quick to catch up, letting the teachers bring up the rear so no student got left behind. Kibosh was using his powers to push back the overgrown plants, clearing the trail back for them all. Not once did a stray branch of leaf touch any student. Clementine, on the other hand, was making small orbs of... moonlight? Just small floating orbs of light she would release from her hand, and they would stay exactly where she left them, lighting the path.

"We own the lake," Thatch told the ghost. "We actually own a lot of the forest, but we just stay within the castle walls." He considerately told. He reached over and helped Casper carry his bulky luggage since Thatch only had a small backpack. "Dad wanted a space far, far away from people for his inventions, and when he turned it just became convenient... I hope everyone will like the castle. This was so suddenly planned." He almost whined, nervously looking to Casper.

It was then the ghost saw Thatch didn't want the school here. Yes, he wanted to return home to be with his mother, but everyone was an intruder about to enter into his private life. To invade the walls of his old family, to explore his home and poke around into the past, to see where he lived and probably question him for weeks to come- Thatch didn't want it. Casper also knew Thatch must have been terrified of someone finding the spiraling staircase to his father's lab. They would have to hide it away- and the ballroom! Casper wanted to hide that away from all but those who could be trusted deeply, such as his friends. Some things just couldn't be shared, it was theirs.

The ghost couldn't give Thatch any words of comfort. Not until he could calm himself. So Casper just kept in line with Thatch, walking by his side with the rest of their school following behind them, Clementine and Kibosh ahead of them. As they went closer to the castle the pathway became more clear, dirt to gravel, then cracked cobblestone that seemed to twist between the trees, moving with nature instead of making nature move around it. Casper could see from these small details either Clementine or Vincent was very in tune with their surroundings. He had a feeling it was Vincent, sure Clementine had a garden but Thatch said his father picked this location and designed the castle himself.

It oddly reminded Casper of home, his real home. No, not the house they were currently haunting in Deedstown for a laugh. His human home, the manor. His manor was out in the open, with wide fields which he sledded on, that much he knew. Thatch lived in a forest with a nearby lake. They were similar, but opposites at the same time. Everything he learned about the vampire entranced him to no end. The blue-eyed monster briefly wondered if Thatch ever thought the same things he did.

Casper then barely saw it, the sphere that circled the castle. He felt his heart leap in excitement and fear as they all passed through it, but nothing looked different. He didn't even recognize the trees, he pushed it off because he knew they were heading to the castle in a different direction than he and Thatch had. He sighed, raising his gaze to the tall trees above. And he saw it, through the leaves he could just see the outline of the castle. It was hard to see, the only thing that gave it away was the absence of the stars in the night sky, which was now pitch black with the sun far below the horizon. He stared up at the outline for a bit, and as they drew closer he lowered his gaze, trying to see ahead in the dark. Then through the trees, he saw the tall stone walls, and behind that the pitch black castle, void of any life. It was scary to look at, but at the same time, Casper felt so excited. They were so close to where everything started.

Clementine was taking the students around front, avoiding the moat that surrounded the whole castle. The students seemed surprised about the moat, Quasi nearly slipping and falling down the steep slope, luckily Fly-Boy managed to get him back on track.

Casper just felt so excited, he could barely tear his eyes away from the moat, the walls, and the normally forbidden castle. He could only imagine what the others were feeling... the others!

He turned his eyes away and looked behind him. The students were walking in pairs in a line right behind Clementine and Kibosh. Mantha and Ra were right behind him. Slither and Wolfie were behind Ra and Mantha, though he couldn't see any further back. He flashed a smile, trying his best not to laugh as Mantha's jaw hung open in shock. Ra was almost bouncing on the balls of his heels. They have only heard about this place, and now they got to see it! Casper felt his chest swell with joy, and he didn't feel so worried. Yeah, their school was entering Thatch's home, but Thatch needed to remember he had the upper hand. He knew all the hallways, most of the secrets. Also, this was his home. Surely that gave Thatch some sort of order over the students, right? Surely Thatch could just tell the students not to go into the tower or ballroom, right? He'll have to talk to Thatch later and comfort the poor vampire.

"Here we are," Clementine softly spoke as she stopped at the front gates. Casper nervously looked at the drawbridge before them, which of course, was sealed shut. It hadn't been open in years. The gears were rusted no way they would… oh.

Clementine used those weird… moving powers of hers and the rusted gears creaked and turned, layers of rust cracking off as they moved. She forced them to move without touching them, the drawbridge dropping down with a loud thud, dust flying up and causing the students to cough.

"As I said… We will need to get the house into working order before it's perfect." She reminded them calmly. She started to walk across the wooden drawbridge towards the front doors. Casper smiled as he saw the familiar front courtyard. The nice smooth stone path, the fountain that only came to life during the nighttime, the mist sweeping over the grass like he remembered it. So eerie but beautiful. Just as he remembered the flowerbeds were still dead, but those didn't matter. The trees were fully alive again, their silver leaves reflecting the moonlight. He could even see the over grown path going around the castle, the one they took to get to Thatch's pond. Casper set his bag down briefly, making Thatch groan as he too had to set it down, they had been carrying it together and it seemed too heavy for the vampire to hold up on his own. Casper tried not to laugh, seeing as the friendly ghost was actually able to lift it on his own, even if it was hard. Casper instead took Thatch's now free hand, giving it a squeeze as he looked over the beautiful courtyard. The students were starting to line up, all staring at the main gates and just gazing out at the haunting, yet enchanting looking castle.

"Kibosh, will you...?" Clementine softly spoke. Kibosh nodded, and to Casper's surprise the ghost took off speedily. He never seen Kibosh ever move fast. He was always slowly hovering, never in a rush. Why would the ruler of the underworld rush anywhere? Then they all saw why...

The castle was being brought to life. The torches inside were suddenly being lit aflame, the windows busting opening. The castle seemed to breathe as if releasing a breath it had been holding for the hundred years. Casper did notice the back tower, Vincent's tower was kept in the dark, unseen in the night sky. That was fine, no one needed to pay mind to that. He only smiled as the front doors were opened with a gust of Kibosh's wind, just for dramatic flair. Kibosh hovered at the doors, grinning widely with his arms crossed over his chest. Behind him, Casper could see the familiar hallway with the red carpet, and he also could see from here the paintings were no longer covered...?

"Welcome to Manora manor," Kibosh called out loudly in his booming voice. The students just stood in awe, gazing up at the castle. "We'll get you students to your bedrooms for the night, then tomorrow we start to unload the ship." He informed them all.

Clementine nodded in agreement and started to walk forward, going up the small flight of stairs to the front doors. As she passed Kibosh they gave each other a knowing look, but no words were spoken. The student body followed Clementine, all in a hushed silence, in pure awe by the large castle with its long stone walls and tall ceiling.

Casper let his eyes wander, looking at the paintings- and he couldn't help but smile. Mortals, fleshies, or in other words humans. Forever pictured in the home of a vampire. Seen as equals and friends, even after they passed. They all wore the uniforms thatch had described in his stories, most of the pictured servants had bite marks on their neck, which was proudly displayed by their open collar uniforms. Seeing their paintings made the friendly ghost wonder just how disconnected the monster world was from the human one. Perhaps staying in the underworld for so long wasn't good for any monster. The blue-eyed ghost just had a good feeling about this. A lot was changing, but he had Thatch right by his side and his friends close. He felt... content.


	37. New School New Night

Chapter 37: New School New Night

This was terrible. Casper was horrified. He stood by the door to his new room, his heart in his gut. Oh, the room was great, it was one of the many, many rooms they had in the castle. His new room had a soft bed with warm-looking sheets, even a feather-stuffed pillow. It looked so welcoming. Near his bed was his own dresser even! He also had his own desk and on top of it a candle was lit, giving the room a soft golden glow. The curtains over his window were pulled back, letting in the fresh night air. Oh, his room was perfect, welcoming and honestly quite comfortable… But the thing was… He was alone.

Casper turned back around to argue, but Clementine had already moved on, guiding each student to their own private bedroom. The boys were in the West Wing, the girls in the East Wing. Mantha was utterly separated from them, then the boys were all forced in separate rooms. Casper dropped his bag by the door and hovered around his entry, staring into the hall and watching as one by one the students were guided into their rooms to settle in for the night. He rested his hand on the wooden frame, and without meaning to he started to hover off the ground, just because he was nervous and he also wanted to get a bit higher so he could see further down the hall. He recognized this hall, of course, Thatch's bedroom was a few doors down… or should he say, all the way down the hall? Clementine had purposely put Casper and Thatch on opposite sides of the hallway, as far away as he could get! Hell Ra just got the bedroom beside Thatch!

The friendly ghost could feel his face slowly go red, but he tried to keep calm. He had no reason to be mad at Ra, so what if Ra was placed beside his boyfriend and not him? Fine fine, FINE. Whatever!

Casper huffed softly, and once the last student walked into their bedroom Clementine waved her hand and the torches in the hallway went out, only leaving the candles in their separate rooms keeping them from the dark. "Go to sleep children. No sneaking out and talking. If you must there is a washroom at the end of the hall." She called down the hall for all students to hear. "Now then, goodnight!" then all their doors slammed shut. Casper huffed, angrily staring at his shut door before he tried to let it ok. Okay fine, it's time for bed. It had been a long day… But he still wanted to see Thatch. So, Casper decided to buy some time. He'll wait until he was sure everyone was asleep before he snuck out to see Thatch. So, the friendly ghost started to unpack. He only had the outfits Thatch had given him, so he put those in his new dresser. His school supplies, notebooks pens and the like got sorted onto his desk. A picture of his family, Fatso, Stinky, and Stretch was placed upon his dresser, facing his bed so he could look at it. It was nice to have their photo here, even if he was no so far away.

No shortcuts to Deedstown, no sneaking off to see them or Jimmy. He would write a letter and ask Cappy to deliver it, Cappy was always so kind when it came to these sort of things. He had to say sorry to Jimmy, but he would write often. He was sure that would help somewhat… and maybe, maybe on the weekends, he could sneak off? He wasn't sure though, Deedstown was so far away- did he just hear a door open?

Casper blew out the candle on his desk quickly and floated over to the door, not letting his feet touch the ground despite knowing stone doesn't creak like wood. He put his hands on the dark wooden door and pushes his head through, peering into the hallway. Clementine was talking down the hall after apparently visiting Thatch's room.

The mother was holding up a lantern, lighting her way as she walked in the dark. Casper quickly retreated back to his room and flew to his bed, diving under the covers. He shut his eyes tightly, back turned to the door. He held his breath- he didn't know why.

The door slowly opened, the light flooding into the room, but it was gentle and restrained, not enough to wake a sleeping child. Casper listened closely, hearing the soft clank of Clementine setting the lantern outside of the open door, then her footsteps as she walked into his bedroom. He opened one eye, just barely. On the wall, he could see her shadow drawing near his bed. He didn't know what to exact, but as the footsteps stopped right beside him he shut his eyes, trying to look like he was peacefully asleep.

Gently hands moved his blanket, tucking the ghost child in. She carefully adjusted his pillow so his head wasn't to tilted- not wanting him to get a sore neck when the morning came. She also went over to his window, shutting it and pulling the curtains shut with a gentle tug. It was odd, something only a mother would ever do. But why was she doing it for Casper? She hadn't stopped by any other bedroom, just Thatch's and now his…

Just as she came, Clementine left the room, her footsteps retreating. Casper listened to the door shut, how the metal latch clicked almost loudly in the deadly silent room. He then strained himself, hearing her gentle footsteps going down the hall. Soon, he heard not a single sound. The vampire had gone.

With a shaky breath, Casper slowly sat up in bed, letting the blanket fall down as he stared at the door. Okay, now was his chance. He carefully slipped out of bed, walking across the stone floor. He opened the door as silently as he could, peering out into the dark hallway. No signs of anyone. Coast was clear!

The young ghost quickly started to go down the hall, constantly throwing nervous glances back towards his room. He could barely see anything, the hall was so dark and everything was so silent. It felt so different than before. The hallways seemed so large and empty without Thatch by his side, so the nervous ghost hurried as quickly as he could while trying not to make a sound.

As he reached Thatch's door he just decided to faze through it, he was a ghost after all! He kept forgetting that important detail. As he stepped into Thatch's room he saw the vampire was still awake. He was sitting at his bed, reading a book with a candle placed on his dresser- it was closer than his desk was. Thatch noticed the 'intruder' instantly, his violet eyes darting up and narrowing until he saw it was just Casper.

"Damn it Casp, you're trying to scare me again aren't you?" He rolled his eyes and placed a bookmark back into his book before he just set it aside. Casper tried not to smile, recalling their little… meeting in here when Casper followed the other.

"Not trying to, I just wanted to see you." He explained as he went ahead and climbed into Thatch's bed, making himself right at home by the vampire's side. "You still nervous? Excited maybe?" The ghost questioned, then couldn't stop himself from laughing when he saw that familiar look in Thatch's eyes. Thatch was certainly fond of their game.

"Well… honestly, I'm still nervous," the vampire drew out slowly, his eyes drifting to the door. "I mean, there are so many people in the castle. It hasn't been that way in a long time- then the covers were taken off the portraits in the hallway! A lot of rules were broken within the first 5 minutes of getting here! Curtains were drawn back, windows open, torches lit!"

"The torches being lit are against your rules?"

"Hey, that's two questions… But uh, yeah. Mom always told me never to lit a torch, it might draw in the humans... She's paranoid, even with dad's protection still ever present around us she fears them finding us again."

"She seems to be handling it really well."

"And that's so confusing! She went from being an utter… trust me I love my mom but she hates people, she's reclusive. And suddenly and the whole school is living in our house and she's the 'vice principal' or whatever." Thatch mumbled softly, leaning against Casper's side. "Okay, my turn… Um, want to sneak out tonight?" He weakly asked. Casper tired not to laugh.

"Of course Thatch. Where will you take me? The pond or the ballroom?" He countered easily.

"Wherever our feet take us." thatch replied calmly, letting a smile resurface on his face. Casper rolled his eyes and playfully nudged the vampire's side. "Okay, okay, let's go," he softly laughed. "We'll continue our game whenever we get where we're going." He decided as he pulled away from the vampire, getting out of his bed. As Casper slipped out the vampire blew out the candle, plunging them into the dark. They both stayed still at first, mostly because Casper's eyes needed to adjust. Thatch seemed rather content in the dark as he took Casper's hand and started to guide him.

Casper smiled and squeezed the vampire's hand as he followed, feeling much safer with the vampire by his side. He knew in due time these halls will become familiar and he would be exploring like he always did, but for now he rather not do it alone. As they left the West wing Casper noticed the rest of the hallways were still in the light, none of their torches had been put out.

Casper's curiosity-filled him, and just to his own surprise, he found himself pulling Thatch, peering down the lit hallways. Thatch didn't complain, he seemed just as curious as the friendly ghost. The two kept close, going down the silent halls until they heard the sound of glass shattering and Clementines' yells.

thatch was off like a bullet, and Casper quickly took off flying after him, actually tackling the vampire to the ground right before he entered the lounge room. The two rolled and skidded to a stop just out of view of the open door, thanks to Casper. thatch opened his mouth to yell and Casper quickly covered it, giving Thatch a stern look.

"Shh, we don't know what's going on," Casper whispered harshly. "It might be nothing. If it is something don't run off ahead of me, I can't help you if I lose track of you." He scolded as he got off of Thatch. That's where their argument ended, more important things were happening. Casper helped Thatch back up to his feet and the two kept close as they inched to the open door. The two children peered into the lounge. The torches were lit, the fireplace only had burning embers on the verge of dying- someone wasn't paying any attention to the fire, or perhaps they didn't care if it went out. The room was just like Casper remembered, warm and friendly looking despite its age.

As the pair stared into the room they saw a shattered cup on the ground, and Clementine was firmly holding onto the sofa while Kibosh was clearly trying not to smile as he hovered in front of her.

"No Kibosh, I can't do it."

"Clementine you're a vampire!" He tried to reason. "Don't you think it's about time you learned how to levitate? Vincent learned it within his first year." He explained, offering his hand to the female.

"Yes, my husband was extraordinary as a human and vampire, but I'm just a normal human with a stupidly long lifespan, that just happens to drink blood," she defended quickly. she grabbed one of the cushions, stubbornly placing it on her lap and turning her head away as if to say she had no plans of getting off the sofa for a while.

"you can't keep changing to a bat every time you need to fly, that takes up so much more energy. And besides, you're extraordinary with magic, more than Vincent was. Clementine, you're not long a human, you haven't been in a long time. Come on, try once more." He laughed, reaching down and grabbed Clementine's arm, pulling her off the sofa. the pillow fell to the floor as kibosh guided her away from her seat and towards the more open part of the room.

"This is so dumb, I already broke a cup!"

"You were doing well, you got off the ground," he easily deflected her concern. He took both of her hands and watched the female vampire carefully. Clementine seemed annoyed, but after a few moments she took a deep breath and let her eyes flutter shut. She held onto Kibosh's hands tightly, and slowly she started to lift off the wooden floor.

Casper and Thatch watched in amazement from the hallway. Casper had no clue vampires could fly in their human forms. He looked to Thatch, who moved back from the door. Casper followed so they could talk without being heard.

"Thatch, vampires can fly like that?" Casper whispered.

"It's called levitating. It's really hard to do, some vampires can't even do it. sometimes vampires can do things others can't. Some can hear for miles around while others having piercing eyes that can freeze a human in place, it's randomly given when we're bitten." He carefully explained, his eyes going between Casper and the doorway. "My dad was utter rubbish at magic, but he could levitate and had the most knowing eyes in the world... My mom was better at the magic side but I never seen her ever attempt to fly... I didn't even know it could be taught, I always thought we would just... do it?"

"Well she's being taught it right now, maybe you can levitate too," the ghost said excitedly. Flying with Thatch sounded like so much fun! the two children rushed back to the door and peered in, eager to see more.

Clementine was tightly holding onto Kibosh, looking a bit panicked as she started to float higher. "Kibosh! Help me down, now! Oh goodness, I'm in a DRESS Kibosh!" She yelled at the green ghost, who didn't seem phased at all. He floated up with her, keeping the vampire upright and in balance.

"The children are in bed and you have like what, 200 layers in that skirt? No one is going to see anything. You know, for trying to 'modernize' the school you haven't changed one bit."

"Some things don't need to be changed like my feet don't need to be off solid ground- oh stars!" She yelped, fumbling in the air a bit. It reminded Casper of the time Jimmy was trying to skate and how his feet kept slipping out from under him- this looked just like that… Only more dangerous.

"You're doing fine Clem, I'm going to let go now."

"Don't you dare."

"Letting go."

"NO!"

"Bye." Kibosh grinned and had his hands simply faze out of clementines, leaving her completely on her won in the air. Clementine yelped, her arms outstretched in a desperate attempt to keep balance- Casper tried not to laugh because it looked like she was trying to surf.

Seeing a paled vampire in a big black dress trying to surf was going to make almost anyone laugh. Casper covered his mouth, stifling his laughter as he watched. Thatch was trying to keep a straight face, but even he was smiling and trying not to laugh as his mother struggled to stay upright. Kibosh at least kept close to Clementine, making sure she didn't get hurt or suddenly plummet to the floor.

Casper wanted to stay and watch longer, but to his surprise, Thatch took his hand and started to guide Casper away. Casper pouted, glancing back at the door as the two walked away. "Don't want to watch?" He spoke softly. Thatch just shrugged as he headed down the hall and to the servant door that led out the side of the house. Casper smiled, feeling more excited now. They were going to the pond!

The ghost walked with a skip in his step now, eager to follow or um… Honestly, he was half dragging Thatch along now that he knew where they were going. Thatch did nothing more than give a helpless smile as he watched the eager ghost, seeming oddly at peace and relaxed compared to before. As the two rounded the house Casper let a pleased sigh escape him. The glowing pond with the colorful fish hadn't changed one bit, and Thatch's rose bushes were just as beautiful as he remembered.

The ghost and vampire sat beside the edge of the pond, watching the fish swim around idly, nibbling on the blades of grass near the edge of the water. The sweet smell from the rose bushes lingered in the air, giving the whole setting an pleasant, safe feel.

They sat in silence at first, getting familiar with their setting once more. For Casper, it was just a relief to be back here and to be with Thatch with no worry. But at the same time, this location provided a lot of trouble. The tower needed to be closed off for Thatch's and his mother's sake, then the nearby village with that curious human, that would be trouble. Then, what would Dummy Girl do here? Also, what were Clementine and Kibosh talking about? Finding their true potential, how their old school couldn't handle the incoming chaos... Clearly, it was because of their ages- perhaps it was about their powers? Ra was certainly discovering his, but so far they didn't seem harmful. Dummy Girl's were trouble for other students, and Thatch's... Okay yeah, maybe Thatch's powers were dangerous.

"Tomorrow will be a long day," The vampire murmured, his violet eyes gazing into the pond, watching as the fish swam around. "We're going to clean up the castle... I bet you and Fly Boy will have to clean off the chandeliers. Mantha will probably be in charge of removing books from our library and putting the school books in there," He noted. "I told mom Mantha was pretty smart." He answered Casper's silent question.

"It won't be so bad. Once we clean a bit I bet we'll have tons of fun here... Maybe we can make more strawberry shortbread?" Casper smiled and nudged Thatch, who let out a soft laugh. Casper felt a shiver run through him. Thatch's laugh was so soft and smooth like silk, the silence of the night made it stand out more than before. They were changing, Casper noticed it now. Thatch was taller than when school started, and he mellowed out once he had some true friends. Everything seemed to be going up, mostly.

This was going to be exciting, what a lovely change.


	38. My Father's Steps

Chapter 38: My Father's Steps

The two sat by the pond, enjoying the cool air, the sweet scent from the flowers and the gentle sounds of the pond. Every once in awhile a fish would break the surface, causing a ripple to spread across the smooth surface. Casper found his eyes wandering away from the pond, instead to the high stone walls that surrounded them. The ghost knew outside those walls was a huge forest, and passed the forest in one direction was a lake, and in another a town that they would soon terrorize. But Thatch had mentioned things in the woods, witches, and werewolves. He had a feeling that wasn't true, witches don't randomly stalk around in forests, and werewolves didn't solely live in the forest. He figured that was only a joke to try to keep the students in line and from wandering.

"I want to try levitating," Thatch said suddenly as he stood up. Casper looked up at Thatch, watching with a curious look as the vampire moved back from the pond, in case he fell.

"But how do you teach yourself? Can you even levitate?" The friendly ghost asked as he stood up as well, nervously following the vampire. "You just learned how to do that weird wind thing," Casper reasoned, but the vampire was stubborn as ever.

"Come on, do what Kibosh did- I don't wanna fly all over the place."

Casper tried not to laugh. "Thatch if you get an inch off the ground I'll be impressed. But fine, I'll hold your hands." The ghost teased, trying not to roll his eyes as he took Thatch's hands in his own, a huge grin plastered across his face.

The situation was rather hilarious. The vampire and ghost were standing outside in the middle of the night, holding hands. Casper really tired not to smile or laugh, even when minutes went by and Thatch was looking terribly frustrated. Casper ended up breaking down with laughter when Thatch did a little bounce on his heels.

"M-maybe you're too young, Thatch?" Casper offered kindly through his giggles. Thatch hissed annoyedly, but Casper felt no worry. Instead, the ghost moved and hugged the grumpy vampire, trying to stifle his giggles. "Thatch it's okay. We got years ahead of us to learn." He offered simply. Thatch grumbled annoyedly but nodded.

"Students should be in bed," Ra called out. The pair turned around, seeing the mummy walking down the stone path, looking annoyed whenever his bandages got caught up on a branch. The pendant around his neck was glowing green, giving the mummy some light.

"You're a student too," Casper smiled and released the vampire. He went over to Ra, saving the mummy the whole trip. Thatch begrudgingly followed Casper. "Ra what are you doing out here?"

"I went to your room to talk but you were gone. So I went to Thatch's and you both weren't there, so I went looking. That castle is a maze!" He complained. Thatch just shrugged, not surprised at Ra's complaints.

"It's supposed to be. My dad designed it to turn around intruders. We don't like guests. Give it a week and you'll learn your way around." He waved the thought off. "There are a few shortcuts I could show you later, in case you're ever running late to class."

"Yeah yeah whatever," Ra rolled his eyes. "Anyways, I was trying to memorize the place, but I think I got turned around. I tried finding the tower but I just ended up in the library."

"Why did you want the tower?" The vampire hissed defensively, his eyes naturally flickering upwards towards the tall dark tower.

"Uh, because it's a huge landmark on the castle and I bet from the top I can see miles around. Casper said there was a village nearby, so I was figuring I could see it."

"The town is too far, you can't even see it from the tower." Casper shrugged simply. He did wish he could see the town from the tower, but that would mean the castle would be closer to the edge of the woods. Vampires were so reclusive! "It's a good flight away, Thatch said normally they took carriages to get from here to the town." The ghost had no issues explaining this, plus getting rid of one of the reasons Ra wanted to see the tower might deter him from it.

"Still a good vantage point-"

"No one is allowed in that tower." Thatch said harshly, earning an odd look from Ra. Thatch sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "That's not… no students up there. I bet mom will go over some rules tomorrow and one of the rules will be to stay away from the tower." He nervously said, his eyes going to the nearest window. Casper elt a soft giggle escape him. Thatch was worried about being caught out here again. Surely this time they would get in trouble since this was a 'school' now.

"Well, currently it's not against the rules, so I'mma go look." The mummy said confidently as he turned around, starting to head back to the door. "Save me some trouble and just show me the way!" Ra called back. Casper looked nervously at Thatch, who annoyedly followed the mummy.

"Ra, that tower is off limits to students!"

"Oh come on Thatch, you break rules all the time. Besides, I'll be careful."

"... You're not going alone." Thatch decided rather easily. Casper was surprised Thatch was allowing Ra to get his way. Casper followed now that Thatch was leading the way. "No touching anything, and you can't tell anyone about it- oh hey um. Maybe we could do that... thing?"

"Yeah sure," Ra shrugged off easily. Those two were so strange...

"Why are there so many stairs?!" Ra complained loudly. Casper knew they were only halfway up the spiral staircase by now. The ghost was rather happy he could just fly and didn't have to climb up like Ra and Thatch.

"Because it's a tower," Thatch coldly answered, his pace not slowing. "Come on Ra, don't be so slow."

"My bandages are going to fall off at this rate," Ra grumbled angrily, keeping a few steps behind Thatch at all times. "Your dad must have had some sort of weird obsession with stairs."

"Actually he was obsessed with the unknown and the impossible," Thatch easily correctly. Much to Casper's surprise the vampire seemed pretty calm, not even getting that defensive, it was more matter-of-fact. This was a great step! Casper felt his spirits raise and he let out a happy sigh. Ra and Thatch were getting along so well. He just hoped it would stay this way, no more fighting.

As they finally reached the top the first thing Ra did was just lay on the cool floor, groaning tiredly as he rolled over to his back. He just kept grumbling 'never again' as he caught his breath. Thatch was winded, but far more use to the stairs than Ra was, so the vampire started to wander around the old lab, an inquisitive look in his eyes as he looked over all the pushed aside… stuff. The chalkboard still in the corner, the papers abandoned on the desk- clearly everything was in the same spot as last time, but Casper could tell they didn't belong there, and plus in the story Thatch told, his father had moved everything around in the night of the attack. It made the ghost wonder what this all looked like in its prime. Thatch seemed to be wondering that too or remembering it because he went over to the chalkboard, pulling it out of the corner.

Casper stood by the stairs, Ra still on the ground as he huffed and puffed as he also observed Thatch. The vampire was anxiously moving things around, his touch remarkably gentle as he lifted documents up, looking them over and placing them where he remembered. It took awhile but the violet-eyed vampire seemed to know what he was doing. Only once in awhile he would pause and had to mull over where an object went.

The lab was actually looking like a lab, not an empty room with things piled along the walls.

Casper carefully floated off the floor, tensely drifting over to the vampire, who seemed satisfied with his job, and was now staring at the portrait of his father on the wall. Casper cast an apprehensive glance at the painting, then back to Thatch. "Thatch?"

"It's about time I find out my dad's mysteries, don't you think?" The vampire said thoughtfully. "I want to find his real lab. Maybe follow in his footsteps one day?" His tone was absolutely doubtful of himself, his eyes filled with uncertainty. But Casper beamed and nodded, encouraging. If this is what Thatch wanted now, the ghost would help him no matter what.

Casper took Thatch's hand in his own, giving the vampire a classic smile, then peering around curiously.

It looked better, still old and abandoned. Casper found himself about to ask something when Thatch pulled away and went over to Ra, kneeling by his side. "Can you do that... thing?" Thatch carefully asked. Ra looked around the lab uncertaintly.

"Thatch I don't know if this is a good idea... besides I've never done it for... to another person? I don't even know how to say what we're doing!" He complained, sitting up and resting back against the iron railings that lead to the steps.

"Come on Ra, just a few minutes?" He pleaded, leaving Casper in confusion. What were they talking about? Is this why they've been talking so much lately? The ghost found himself nervously floating, confused and a tad sad that he wasn't being let in on... whatever that was going on. The two monsters didn't even seem to notice at first. The mummy finally agreed and Thatch eagerly helped Ra up to his feet.

"This is going to suck... Okay, let's give it a shot!" He clapped his hands together, wringing them as he looked around the lab. "This is going to be a thing... A big thing... this is going to be a ducky thing Thatch, you owe me. Now just relax-"

"Can I be let in on what's going on?" Casper piped up, letting his feet touch the ground finally as he went over to Ra and Thatch, looking between the two.

"Thatch thinks they're hints in this lab leading down to some 'secret' lab', " Ra rolled his eyes as he did air quotations. "He thinks if he went back to a certain day in the past and sees it he might understand more."

"But... If we're going back in Thatch's memories he won't remember anything he doesn't already remember?"

"That's no how mummy magic works." Ra shrugged it off. "In the office, you saw my memory from my point of view because I made it so. Mummys can actually use their magic to view any day in the past at any time, whether they saw it or not. I'm going to use Thatch's base memory as an anchoring point to figure out the exact date I need to work off of." Ra explained as he started to walk to the center of the room. "As before just catch me when I fall. I don't know how long I can do this either."

"Isn't this dangerous? Ra what if you exert yourself too much?" The ghost worriedly asked. He understood whatever they were doing was terribly important to Thatch, but his friend's health was also important. He didn't want Ra getting hurt.

"Pffft, don't worry Casp. This pendant hones and limits my magic, I won't be hurt." Ra brushed off easily, his hand naturally going to the beetle pendant around his neck. This still didn't bring much comfort. Casper found himself staring at that pendant, slowly understanding more of its role in Ra's life. Ra had been terrified when Dummy Girl took it, and it wasn't just for memory sake… What would happen if Ra lost it for a long time? Would Ra lose his ability to use magic, or perhaps his ability to control it at all? It could go either way. He only wanted them to be safe, be careful and smart. Oh, he was sure if Mantha was here she would control this situation so much better! thatch and Ra left alone to plan lead to trouble, go figure. He should have stopped it before it got this far.

But all the ghost could do was watch as Thatch took his spot beside the mummy, letting Ra placed a hand on his shoulder. Casper started to float, tucking his feet up from the floor as the room seemed to wobble a bit, then become solid- not like Ra's previous spell. It actually felt like they were back in time- and the lab was alive. Lights, similar to the ones Clementine used in the forest trail were floating around the room aimlessly. That was the only thing peaceful about the lab. Vincent hurried around in a creative frenzy, muttered words falling from his lips as he lifted papers, scanning them before he dropped them carelessly and searched another. Gadgets and weird steam-powered machines were whistling loudly as they pumped and rumbled with power. Different colored liquids filled every glass container the ghost could see- and every flat surface was covered with stuff. It was impressive but an utter mess.

Vincent was pacing between the several tables and his desk, his white hair ruffled up- probably from the humidity from the steam. Casper found it terrifying but also thrilling to be peering into the past, into Thatch's past. Oh, if this was based off a memory then… Casper turned, his blue eyes scanning the lab quickly.

The child version of Thatch was sitting near the balcony, his father's cloak draped over his tiny shoulders as he played with some wooden soldiers. It was night time, so the balcony doors were open and allowing the moonlight to flow in. The child vampire smiling goofily, his fangs far too big for himself. He kept glancing up at his father, just smiling despite his dad's distress. He was being quiet, letting his dad work in peace... In this mess of a lab could bring anyone peace.

Casper smiled and looked back to the real Ra and Thatch, just to see the living vampire had left Ra's side and was exploring the lab, looking down at the papers on the tables. Ra, on the other hand, was over at the steam power machine, watching it curiously- until it spewed steam into his face, making the mummy back right off with a loud complaint about the machine being 'rude'. Casper seriously doubted it was possible for a machine to be rude.

"Thatch?" Casper softly called out but earned no response. Thatch was too involved in his father's work. Casper frowned and moved to go get the vampire's attention again, but stopped as Clementine appeared near the stairs, softly huffing from the climb.

"Vincent, for goodness sake the cook has been ringing your bell for a good half hour!"

"I know, I silenced it," The adult vampire made a brief motion. Near the stairs on the back wall was a small silver bell, which he had covered with the blanket that was supposed to go over the machines when they were off. Clementine grumbled and went over, removing the cover with an irritated tug. The bell was silent stiff at least.

"The bell was for yours, and Thatch's supper! He needs to eat, and so do you. Take a step back love, Kibosh can wait." She tried to say soothingly as she set the blanket on the railing, smoothing out the wrinkles. Thatch smiled from his spot and stood up as he dropped his toys, running over to his mother. The long cloak dragged behind him, not that Thatch cared. "Oh hello, little prince," she laughed and easily lifted Thatch as if he was nothing, giving him a playful twirl before she held him close to her bosom, making the child just fall into a fit of laughter. "Let's go eat dinner… Right, Vincent?" She asked, her tone having a slight edge. The woman turned back to the stairs, gently rubbing Thatch's back as the vampire wrapped his small arms around her in a big hug.

Vincent was quick to cave to her will. He laughed softly, nervously rubbing the back of his neck as he went over. "Yes, of course, let's go." He gave Clementine a quick kiss on her cheek before taking Thatch when the child held his arms up, carrying the young lad down the stairs with Clementine following.

Now the real Thatch, Ra, and Casper were left alone in the captivating lab to explore as they pleased. Casper caught Thatch staring at the stairs, and it wasn't until he noticed Casper watching that he looked away, his cheeks flushed. Thatch nervously fiddled with his cloak, needing something to do with his hands.

"Wow Thatch, you were so... tiny?" Casper faintly smiled. He liked seeing Thatch at stages at his life, but the ghost found himself.. jealous? Casper remembered little about his life before a ghost, while Thatch could remember his entire lifetime... Then again Thatch never died.

"You looked like a baby!" Ra laughed loudly, meriting a hiss from Thatch.

"Well of course I did, I was terribly young at this age!" He justified. "I didn't even know how to talk," and at Casper's look, his shoulders slumped, his anger subsiding. "I was a bit slow with my words."

"Wish that was still the same, your tongue is as sharp as a knife sometimes." Ra chortled, holding his hands up in a defense when the vampire puffed up like an upset kitten. "It's fine, it is... Okay so, what are we looking for?"

"I remember my dad planning to change the entrance to his 'secret lab' when I was playing this day. If we find the plans for the new entrance we could find it. But the problem is there are so many papers!" Thatch groaned in frustration, throwing his hands up.

"Why don't we just... follow your dad when he goes down?" Casper offered. "That'll be easier. When does he head down to the lab?"

"After I go to bed normally. He liked to stay awake in the day, for a vampire that's terribly odd."

"You still need to explain this whole... vampire thing when you sleep at the night and crap," Ra motioned to all of Thatch. "Because you're confusing me to hell."

"Oh shut it bandage boy. You'll learn it in my lesson. Besides, shouldn't you be doing homework?"

"On what?"

"Your dumb face. Your lesson is Monday." Thatch said simply as he walked past the mummy and towards the spiral stairs. "Now come on, if we're going to follow dad we best not get too far."

"Ugh... More stairs." Ra whimpered, dragging his feet as Thatch and Casper started to head down the stairs.


	39. Distracted Past

Chapter 39: Distracted Past

Waiting for Clementine and Vincent to put Thatch to sleep was getting on their nerves. It took so long! The vampires had their 'dinner' which they spent a lot of the time talking, then when Clementine and Vincent were cleaning up they were talking about getting a new maid as the mini-Thatch snuck out of his parent's sights, grinning widely. The little rascal hurried down the hall, playfully lifting the ends of the cloak so they flowed behind him like some sort of superhero cape. Casper tried to ignore the child and focus on Vincent until he felt his Thatch leave his side. Casper looked, seeing Thatch follow his younger self out of curiosity. Casper frowned, crossing his arms across his chest, then looked to Ra for some support in this matter.

Ra shrugged his shoulders, letting himself grin. "It's fine. Come on." He said and started to follow Thatch, though he walked at a nice calm pace, clearly not in a rush to go anywhere. Casper felt annoyed but followed, though he started to wonder if Ra was feeling tired or ill. The mummy showed no signs of either, so Casper would just have to assume Ra was just fine, but it still drove him crazy. Were they all forgetting every second they were here Ra was using his barely understood powers! Ra seemed fine now, but the effects always took place once the spell went off, and who knew how much this would affect Ra. Besides, the way Ra's pendant was glowing was freaking him out despite Casper's attempts to just ignore it. Ra didn't even seem to mind the glowing and that made the ghost even more concerned. The glowing clearly meant something, good or bad it was unknown.

"Where are we going?" Ra loudly asked Thatch, who seemed more distracted with his tiny self than anything else. Ra tried not to laugh, letting a smirk come to his lips. "I knew this would happen… Okay look, Thatch, this is cool and all but let's not get distracted from the task at hand." Ra said and hurried up to Thatch's side. "Come on, we gotta watch your dad." He tried to redirect the vampire, mostly for Casper's sake. An agitated ghost wasn't exactly a pleasant thing to deal with. Plus, Casper always turned a bit red when he was getting mad- it was so always terribly clear when the monster was getting fed up.

"Dad is going to go into town with mom and get Crystal tonight… I forgot I meet her tonight." Thatch mumbled softly, his eyes straight ahead on the mini-him, trying not to smile as the child pretty much hopped down the hall. "I don't remember my first meeting with her… and I want to." He decided firmly. "Mom said Crystal and I hit it off, and that she read me to bed that night. Once mini-me is in bed we'll follow dad again." Thatch explained, watching his mini-me open the ballroom door, though the small child struggled to do so, heaving to put his whole weight behind moving the large wooden doors. Casper tried not to gasp, but the ballroom was beautiful.

The crystal chandelier shimmered- reflecting light all around the room, the torches were ablaze with fire. All the windows were open to the outside air, the cool breeze swept into the ballroom, blowing the curtains gently. The floor was newly polished and shined, not creaking once under the mini-Thatch's feet. The small child went to the center of the room like Thatch had explained and sat right down, wrapped up in his dad's cloak with the biggest smile he could muster with those silly fangs before he just flopped onto his back, staring up at the painted ceilings- which were actually only half painted at this time.

"Whoa dude," Ra drew out, "you got to show me when I break this spell. What does it look like nowadays?" He questioned as he walked slowly, doing a full spin as he took in the large room.

"Still beautiful, just not as polished." Thatch chuckled and sat beside his child self- this was truly an odd sight. Casper and Ra found themselves just looking between the two. They looked terribly similar, one was just smaller. Plus it was hard to wrap their heads around that the little cutie before them turned into the biggest jerk in the school, then mellowed out and was now dating Casper… Wow.

The mini-Thatch was very calm compared to his older self. In fact, the child was clinging to the cloak, yawning as he slowly started to doze off right there on the floor. Thatch smiled and just rested beside his mini-self, idly looking around the room with a content look. Casper found himself hovering around the room, exploring the place in its prime. The garden was as lively as he remembered it, though he could also see the rose bushes weren't planted, and that instead of the pretty red roses there were some small earth flowers- like tulips were planted in small batches around the castle walls. The pond had no fish in it, even from the window Casper could tell, and the tree beside it was much smaller. It was so strange to see how time changed things.

As he peered outside, studying the differences he heard the sound of hooves and the loud sounds of wooden wheels on the cobblestone after the sound of a large crash, probably the drawbridge being dropped down. Casper naturally flew right back to his Thatch, ducking behind the vampire with his arms tightly wrapped around the other's torso. Thatch smiled and stayed put, just raising one hand to rest on Casper's arm.

"I guess they're home. Don't panic, we can't be seen."

"It's just weird to be here," Casper mumbled softly, his eyes drifting over to the windows. They were monsters, suppose to be hidden and in the dark. But everything in this castle was bright and screamed 'looked at me'. Even in its 'ruined' state back in their time, it was flashier than the school, or Casper's old homes… Monsters were supposed to hide but this crazy vampire family liked to show off while staying hidden. Vampires were completely weird.

Vincent walked in, Clementine was behind him but she stayed by the door, looking rather happy with herself. Vincent walked over to the mini-Thatch, which the real Thatch, Casper, and Ra quickly scrambled away from, despite not being able to be seen or touched. It was better to be safe than sorry, plus it wasn't like Casper completely understood Ra's spell. Who knew if they could affect the past.

"Thatch," Vincent softly cooed as he lifted the child right off the floor and into his arms. The child whined and opened his eyes, at first looking annoyed that he was woken up, but then happy to see it was just his beloved father. "You'll get sick sleeping here… Besides, we got a surprise." He softly chuckled, brushing back Thatch's multi-colored hair from his face. "I want you to meet Crystal, your mother's new thrall. She'll be your nanny from now on." Vincent decided simply, shifting the child so Thatch could see his mother. Clementine smiled and stepped aside, lightly pulling Crystal into the ballroom. Crystal was young, early teens at best. She wore rags and was covered in dirt, she was awfully thin too. Her eyes had no life, a mindless thrall currently. The speechless child looked at Crystal in fright and clung tighter to his father.

"Oh no, no Thatch it's okay. She just needs some love and care. She'll look better tomorrow." He comforted the child, pressing a kiss to his temple. "She's just like the rest of our thralls. Once she's healed back up to health she'll be fine." He promised, carrying Thach over to Clementine. Thatch clung to his father tightly, his eyes carefully watching Crystal, studying her like she was some sort of monster.

"Lets put you to bed, the sun is rising." Clementine smiled, taking Thatch happily into her arms. "Crystal, follow," Clementine ordered in a bit of a colder tone, but she meant no harm by it. One had to be firm with thralls. "We best get you and Crystal cleaned up. Vincent, are you staying up?" the mother tiredly sighed, her gaze turning sad as she looked at her dear husband.

"Of course my dear, I have work to do tonight." Vincent softly sighed, brushing his hair back with his hands to get it out of his face. It was frustrating but he was married to his work as much as he was married to his dear Clementine. "I got to get this finished up or the farmers will have a terrible haul this year. They barely made it last year. These winters have been hard on the humans." Vincent reasoned, and Clementine found herself smiling as she gently bounced Thatch in her arms, just a playful gesture.

"Well then, fine. Just remember sometimes it best to let the humans work things out on their own. You're far too attached to them. You'll work yourself to death- oh?" She stopped and looked at Thatch curiously as the child shifted in her arms. Thatch was reaching out for Clementine, his hands outstretched as he determinedly tried to grab onto his mother's new thrall. Clementine willingly moved and passed Thatch into Crystal's arms after a moment's hesitation. Crystal carefully took Thatch, holding him close in the exact manner Clementine did, after all, thralls were often just extensions of the vampires who controlled them. Thatch smiled, his head tilted to the side as he studied the new thrall.

Thatch leaned up, using Crystal's arms as a brace for his legs. His small hands moved, pulling down the collar of her shirt to stare at the fresh bite mark. It was still bleeding, not having time to heal over yet. The child pouted and looked towards his mother, letting out a soft whimpering sound as he clung to Crystal.

"So cute, I see you got a good taste in humans as well my little prince. Come now, we need to get you both cleaned up," she softly spoke and placed a hand on Crystal's back, guiding the female out. Thatch just pouted, but either way, he clung to Crystal fondly. Vincent waved, fondly watching his darling wife, child and their new thrall leave.

Casper tilted his head to the side, a frown pressed to his lips. The ghost carefully floated off the ground in his new habit. He felt safer in the air, maybe because very few creatures could fly. "Thatch? Wasn't that... Your favorite maid?"

"Yeah," Thatch recalled fondly, a faint smile on his lips before a heavy sigh escaped him. "What of it?" He asked defensively, turning to face the ghost with his arms stubbornly crossed over his chest.

"In the story, you told me she was older. She's so young… Just a few years older than us, isn't she?" He questioned lightly, trying to keep the vampire nice and calm. No need to start a fight over a simple question.

"This is 10 years before the attack on the castle, so of course she's younger." Thatch explained offhandedly.

"A whole 10 years?" Casper muttered softly, then looked at the vampire with a faint smile. "Funny to see how humans age and you don't, huh? You're so small."

"Hey I grew! 10 years from 'now' I was talking and learning how to fly. That's pretty good for a vampire." He said defensively. "I was always smart!" Casper tried not to roll his eyes. He didn't feel like making a snarky remark to the vampire, not right now. He'll let Thatch claim he's smart, but honestly, the vampire could be a dunce at times.

Ra decided this was a good time to speak up. "Thralls are creepy." He said bluntly as he inserted himself into their conversation.

Thatch hissed, but tried not to snap, having to remind himself it looked like from the outside. "They're not 'creepy', they're just mindless slaves… At first. That's how things operate here. Mom and dad find an abandoned fleshie, turn them into a thrall, fix them up and then they break the spell after a few weeks. Most of them stay as servants afterward." He explained stiffly to Ra. Casper rolled his eyes and floated away as Thatch went onto his spew, trying to explain the life of a thrall to the mummy. Casper had little interest in this as Thatch had explained this to him before. Casper instead watched Vincent stand by the door, and once the vampire started to leave Casper made a quick call back to his friends before he followed.

Finally, down to business.

The three children followed Vincent eagerly down to the cellar like Thatch had told Casper before. The stairs into the cellar were creepy. They were dark and slowly curved. It wasn't until they reached the bottom Casper saw it was because the cellar was, in fact, circular and not square like he had assumed. There were rows and rows of shelves. Old tools, crates, things to repair and some weird looking… things Casper couldn't describe. The cellar was large and dark, none of the torches were lit. Vincent carried the only lit torch to light his way, so the children stuck close lest they are left in the dark with only Ra's creepy glowing pendant to give them light. Casper honestly thought that was worse than being left in the dark.

Vincent approached the back wall, softly humming to himself. He raised a careful hand, letting the tips of his fingers run along the cold bricks. He settled on a cracked brick at his eye height, and the trio could see the vampire's red eyes glow faintly as he lightly tapped the brick in tune with his humming before he pulled his hand back. The stones started to move, coiling back and folding in on themselves to make a large door, revealing a staircase that seemed to go down forever.

Vincent held his torch up and started to head down the stairs, and Thatch started to follow until Casper grabbed his shoulder, halting the vampire. "We got our answer. Let Ra break this spell." Casper softly pleaded, his gaze drifting back to the mummy. Ra said nothing, just looking away quickly and fiddling with his creepy glowing pendant. The vampire looked hesitant, his eyes drifting back to his father as he descended down into the dark stairs, slowly disappearing from their sight. "Thatch, this is the past… Let's go back to our time." Casper moved, holding both of Thatch's hands as he started to guide the vampire away from the stairs, just as the bricks started to shut again. Casper gave a classic smile as he watched the vampire, but he got no smile in return.

"Come on man, we can find this now," Ra said confidently. "We'll just come back to it in our own time, it'll be fine." He agreed with Casper as he walked over, patting the vampire on his back. Thatch sighed heavily, still looking regretful. Casper tried to understand, Thatch just wanted to see more of his father, but Casper wanted this spell to break for Ra's sake. And luckily the vampire submitted and nodded, giving the mummy and ghost a half-hearted smile.

"Okay, now that this is done… someone hold me cause this is going to suck more than a vamp- er… Nevermind." Ra muttered and glanced off at Thatch's cold glare. It was best not to make any vampire jokes for now. "Let's get this over with." He said simply and clasped his hands together. Ra broke the spell and for a moment it looked like the world was shattering around them like they were stuck inside of some endless mirror world. Then they were back in the tower like nothing had happened, and all of them were just standing there like they were in a trance. After a few moments Casper felt the ability to move again, and the second he did Ra started to fall forward like a sack of potatoes.

The ghost quickly dived forward, catching Ra by his upper torso- his arms just tightly wound around the mummy, his head mere inches from the ground. That would have been a really nasty injury. Thatch hurried over, helping Casper gently lower the unconscious mummy so he was laying on his back. Ra was stiff, his eyes closed gently as he slept. The pendant was softly flashing green, not as intense as it had been before. Ra seemed to be fine, the mummy was breathing and just seemed to be asleep. It was a bit of a relief to be back and know Ra was going to be okay now. Casper could now put his focus on Thatch's concerns now that Ra's health wasn't in question.

"We need to get him to bed," Casper sighed softly, his gaze moving from his dear friend to the window, noting that the room was lighter. "The sky is lighter… We'll have to get up soon. It's best we all go to our rooms." The ghost muttered, his shoulders slouching down. They were up all night, tomorrow was going to be long and exhausting. Sure Thatch would be fine, but Caper needed sleep!

"But the lab!" Thatch quickly countered, holding his arms out in a helpless manner.

"It can wait. Your mom will ban us from the tower, not the cellar. Tomorrow night we can get to your father's lab, I promise." Casper said earnestly. "Look at Ra, Thatch, he's exhausted. Help me take him back." It wasn't hard to get the vampire to listen. What Casper said made sense, so the vampire caved and nodded, helping the ghost hoist up their friend and start to carry him down the towers spiraling steps and back to the West Wing. Casper, of course, had it easy, just having to hover off the ground and hold Ra's legs up. Thatch had it harder as he had to lift the upper half of the mummy and walk back down the stairs. Casper tried not to laugh, listening to Thatch grumble and insult the mummy's weight the whole time.

Casper took a quick note that Thatch was always one to quip about one's weight whenever he had to carry them. First Slither, and now Ra. Casper was just glad he was a ghost and therefore didn't weigh much. He was sure that would please the weaker vampire a good bit. Poor Thatch, only as strong as a human. Well, at least the vampire could turn into a bat, that was something. Until Thatch learned some new powers the vampire was very human-like. It had to suck being a living vampire.

At the bottom of the terribly long and ridiculous stairs, Thatch set Ra down and just laid on the floor, heavily panting as he caught his breath. Casper idly watched, feeling perfectly fine himself. "We need to go before we get caught."

"NAH, shush… one more minute." Thatch groaned, covering his eyes with his hands. "Ra needs to lose some weight, damn if Slither was here this would be so much easier," the vampire realized, mentally beating himself up for not dragging Slither's scaley butt out of bed.

"Well, he's not so we gotta keep working." Caper rolled his eyes. The ghost placed his hands on his hips, just hovering over the vampire. "Come on, up. Let's get Ra to bed then you can rest. Come on Thatch, these halls are creepy."

"They're not creepy." Thatch grumbled but sat up anyways. Thatch slowly got up, groaning as he stretched out. Casper flew back to Ra's feet, grabbing them as Thatch grumbled and lifted Ra from under his arms. The two monsters carefully carried their passed out friend down the dark halls. Casper couldn't hear anything. No Kibosh, no Clementine, no sounds at all. It was like the entire castle was muted. For a building filled with a bunch of monsters, it was too quiet. But the monsters were asleep, so maybe Casper was just nervous. First night in their new school, it would bring anyone nerves!

Casper decided to do the nice thing and open the door for Thatch, but he tried something a bit different. Casper tried to use his own ghost powers to open the door. After all, ghosts could move things or possess them. He hadn't used them in… forever now, not since he used them to scary Jimmy. He had been too ashamed to use them- but watching the other students grow into their powers was almost comforting. Yeah they had powers and they could be used for evil, but Thatch and Ra showed they can just as easily be used for good.

The door slowly creaked up and Casper flinched back. Yeesh, why was everything so creepy. He wasn't even trying to make it creepy! Once the door was fully opened they carried Ra in, but Casper couldn't help but to notice Thatch was just staring at him. He only looked away once or twice, and that was because they had to open the lid to Ra's sarcophagus to put him in. Once Ra was laid down Casper closed the lid, sighing heavily. When he turned to Thatch the vampire was still just staring at him.

"W-what?" Casper stuttered and started to head for the door.

"I didn't know you had magic."

"I'm a ghost. I can move things," Casper murmured. "It's not that big of a deal."

"Why don't you do it more often?" Thatch frowned and followed quickly, taking ahold of his hand.

"I just don't. It doesn't… Thatch, I'm tired." He mumbled and turned up to the vampire, looking at him with pleading eyes. "Tomorrow. Let's talk tomorrow."

"Well... Okay." Thatch sighed. "Come on, let's get to my room." He said simply and started to lead the ghost along. Casper briefly glanced down the hall towards his own room but didn't say anything. He just followed Thatch into the vampire's bedroom, a smile making its way to his face despite his utter exhaustion. He was fine with this, it wasn't the first time he would sleep with the vampire. If anything he preferred it. So the ghost just yawned and climbed onto the soft mattress as Thatch went around doing… stuff, Casper really didn't pay attention. He just climbed under the covers and pulled them up. As he laid his head down Thatch joined him finally and pulled the ghost closer, instead having Casper's headrest upon his chest. Much better.

The ghost smiled and nuzzled close, gently holding onto the living vampire. He knew Thatch probably had dozens of questions running around in his head, but Casper didn't see the rush. they were young and they had plenty of time to figure things out. So, the ghost fell asleep easily, forgetting the stress of the day or the dreaded feeling of the amount of work they had to do tomorrow.


	40. Found It

Chapter 40: Found It

Casper just wanted to sleep forever honestly. Or at least for a few more hours. He groaned softly and nestled into the blanket as lights came on in the room and he could hear the steady footsteps heading over to the bed, the clicking of the heels on the red carpet gave it away, it was Clementine. While he was momentarily proud of knowing who it was without even opening his eyes didn't mean he was pleased. He just wanted more sleep.

"Thatch... And Casper it's time to get up," Clementine happily cooed. "Come on, time to go to breakfast," she said firmly as she rounded the bed, going over to Thatch's side. Casper felt the bed dip more on Thatch's side as she sat down, pulling Thatch into her arms in a loving hug. "Thatch, Casper looks exhausted. Get him up and dressed and down to the dining room," she instructed, giving the vampire a quick kiss on his forehead. "But do so gently, the poor thing looks so tired... I didn't know moving here would be so hard on him." She softly pondered. "When you head out make sure none of the students get lost," she added as an afterthought, tousling up Thatch's hair before she walked out.

Casper mumbled, pouting as he felt the living vampire beside him move, pulling the blanket off. Well, he supposed this was bound to happen if he kept staying up so late. Casper yawned and stretched out before finally opening his eyes, peering up at Thatch who was just grinning widely at the ghost, looking rather amused. Casper yawned widely and just laid there, idly watching the amused vampire. Casper silently swore he would somehow get revenge on Thatch for this. Dumb vampires and their need for practically no sleep.

"I'll go get your clothes. You rest your eyes a bit more." Thatch decided on his own. Oh, thank goodness. Casper nuzzled back into the pillow and shut his eyes, just trying to get those last sweet minutes of peace. He didn't really hear Thatch get up, suppose he dozed off partly. He only noted the sound of things being moved around, then next thing he knew Thatch was putting shoes on the fully dressed ghost. Casper rubbed his eyes and looked down at the vampire, trying not to smile as Thatch softly hummed while tying the laces. So cute...

Ah, but back in the old style clothes! They were very similar to what Thatch had Casper wear last time, just not as 'fancy' looking. Thank goodness for that honestly. Casper sighed heavily, and once he felt Thatch finish tying his shoes the ghost forced himself to sit up, stretching out and whining. Thatch just laughed and climbed back up onto the bed, grabbing his brush off the side table. Casper watched Thatch brush his hair back, pure muscle memory to get it into its' classic style. Then the vampire turned to Casper, scooting closer and started to brush Casper's hair, even if it wasn't really needed. Since Casper could change his appearance at will that meant he had perfect control of his hair, so he never let it get messy. But Casper let Thatch do whatever, and it took less than 1 second for the ghost to realize the feeling of brushing out hair was very relaxing. The ghost hummed and leaned towards the vampire, resting against his chest.

Thatch didn't comment, content to have such a peaceful morning with his ghost. Plus since it was partly his fault Casper was so tired this is the least he could do for the other. Thatch kept the fluffed up look to Casper's hair, not brushed back like his own. He liked seeing Casper's fluffy hair, it fit the ghost's bubbly personality. Thatch then set the brush aside and wrapped his arms around the ghost, pulling him close as they both just sat on the bed, enjoying the silence in the morning hours. That was until Slither and Ra busted in. Go figure.

Despite Ra being utterly passed out last night, he was loud and awake this morning, though his pendant was still softly blinking... so creepy. The mummy was the one to bust in the room, a big grin on his face and he looked ready for anything. Slither slowly followed, hanging back at the door and nervously peering in, keeping his head low like he was expecting to be yelled at for intruding... Which Thatch was most likely itching to do, but he didn't want to completely ruin their peaceful morning.

"Good morning! Lets head on down I'm starving, plus we totally need to fill in Mantha on last night," Ra talked loudly as he walked over to the bed, not even noticing he was interrupting a peaceful intimate moment between the two. "Also, turns out Slither has a room with his own personal heater and a heated blanket. From the looks of it, your mom or Kibosh set up some solar panels out and had the wires run into his room. I thought I heard some pounding on the roof this morning so I got a feeling there's going to be a lot of construction going on today."

"Solar panels?" Thatch frowned, looking positively confused. "Why do we need those?" Thatch didn't seem too fond of change, especially in his house.

"Uh, because electricity is something this place desperately needs. Trust me the candle aspect if very cool and old but, I don't want flames near my bandages." Ra waved the thought off. "Nor do I want melted wax everywhere."

"The candles don't melt, dad enchanted them to-"

"Yeah yeah, whatever. Either way, I think I heard Fly Boy saying we're all getting assigned tasks to do after dinner, so let's head on down. I'm starving!"

"When aren't you?" Casper playfully joked, finally pulling away from the vampire and slipping off the bed.

"Wait wait no, I'm not dropping this. We don't need 'solar panels', we don't need to make any changes to the house!" He defended quickly. "We can just... Connect everything to the power source? That way the castle doesn't have to change too much, right?"

"Well... If this 'power source' gives off electricity then... sure? I dunno Thatch, I'm just saying I don't want to be around fire, and nor does our gym teacher." The mummy joked a bit. "I'm sure if we find an alternate source to solar panels your mom will leap on it."

"Exactly! So we got to get to my dad's lab!" Thatch eagerly said and jumped off of his bed. Casper decided to take control of the situation.

"We will, but I think we should listen to your mom first. Won't she be at breakfast anyway? We can ask her to hold off on the solar panels while we go down to your dad's lab." Casper offered, taking Thatch's hand. He firmly looked at the vampire, trying to get him to calm down without using his words. It seemed to be working somewhat. "Trust me I don't want the castle to change much either, I love it this way. But no need to rush things, and besides we're not even sure if what Ra said is completely true. Maybe the solar panels are only for Slither's heater and blanket? We'll ask and see, there's no need to jump ahead and get in trouble-"

"There better not be trouble." A familiar voice came. The boys turned around and were greeted by the pleasant sight of their zombie friend. She smiled and walked in confidently. "We're separated for one night and you all are talking about trouble? Clearly, you all are hopeless." She joked, then hugged Casper tightly. Casper quickly returned the hug and laughed when Ra joined right in.

"Mantha! I'm glad you're here. You missed so much last night, we got to fill you in." Casper said excitedly. As he released the zombie he was bouncing on his heels, but he actually felt the weight to his actions. Ah right, clothes and shoes. Those weighed him down some. It felt weird to actually have some weight to him after all this time of just being weightless. It was nice though, a good change.

"Oh not now Casper, tell her when I get some food!" Ra complained and started to head to the door. "I can eat a lake monster right about now!" He called back.

Mantha chuckled and rolled her eyes, making a brief motion for everyone to move out. She could wait a few minutes if it kept Ra from complaining like he was starving to death. The zombie contently walked beside Casper, talking about how his clothes were cute while Thatch walked with Slither, checking up on his snake-like friend and making sure he didn't get cold during the night.

Ra's focus was on getting to the dining room to eat. It made the ghost wonder if using magic made the mummy hungry, that could be a good answer. Ra seemed ravenous as of late, ever since he discovered his magic so it was the only logical reason. After that spell last night it made sense why Ra was so hungry.

Upon reaching the dining room the group (minus Thatch) stood in awe. The long wooden table stretched the length of the large room, a simple white tablecloth covered the wooden surface, and all the way down the table was platter after platter of food. At every seat was a piece of paper folded to stand up on its own with a students name written, along with the plate and silverware and a cloth napkin. The 3 chandeliers hanging over the tables were all lit, giving the room a gentle golden glow that seemed to be the new norm in the castle. The large windows were all covered by curtains though, out of respect for the fact that Clementine can burn to death- and no one wanted that.

Thatch walked forward, not even pausing. He seemed slightly interested by the fact they had assigned seats, but not surprised by it. He found his seat, which was near the head of the table. And much to their delight, Casper sat right beside him. Across from Thatch was Ra and across from Casper was Mantha. Slither got to sit on the other side of Casper, and they were delighted to see Wolfie sat across from Slither. Clementine clearly took the time to put the students who got along closer together, to reduce fighting and stress. Mealtime was a time for peace and relaxation after a long days work, or to prepare for a long day.

Clementine walked into the dining room, pushing a cart with several more platters of food. She took care of where she put them, studying the names on the seats before she set the platters down. It was then Casper noted that the platters were placed in front of their plates in a certain order based on what they were. Everyone's meal was custom designed for each student!

Now at this point Thatch finally looked confused just as Casper and the rest of the gang. So, Thatch being Thatch, he huffed and sat up straighter. "Momma!" He called out, and Clementine looked up swiftly as she set the last platter she was carrying down.

"Yes, dear? Something wrong?" she asked and walked over to her child, brushing her hands off on her apron. It was then Casper noted that Clementine was actually cooking all these meals, though he had a feeling the lunch lady was probably giving her a hand, there were so many monsters after all.

"What is all this?" Thatch motioned to the table, then looked back up to his mother expectantly. In front of Thatch, there were several jars filled with blood, each one with their own straw. But he also had ham, bacon, some buttered toast and oddly enough... Strawberry shortcake. The strawberry shortcake was in front of Casper too, but no one else got it.

"Ah well, I'll explain once everyone sits down," Clementine assured him. "Breakfast will start in just a minute, we're missing a few students. Oh, I bet they got lost…"

"They did," Dr. Burns steamed as he walked into the dining room, Monaco, Mickey and Mosshead in tow. "They got turned around and ended up in the library!" He huffed, watching as the three managed to find their way to their seats at least.

Casper looked up and down the table, noting all the students were there, and the teachers were lined up along the wall as if awaiting instructions. Clementine took a seat beside Thatch, and at the very head of the long table was an empty seat… Until Kibosh flew through the castle wall and just floated into his seat like it was no big deal.

Clementine cleared her throat, giving the green ghost a firm look. "We have doors and hallways for a reason. Walls are walls."

"Walls are annoying." He countered simply. "Anyways, I see we're all here." He stated as he looked up and down the table.

"Yes. I've already had questions about the seating arrangements and the food." Clementine's eyes naturally traveled from Wolfie to Thatch. "Students, these will be your assigned seats at this table during meal times only. This is so we can serve you the proper meals. As one of you have noticed each of you get a different meal. They are custom to your needs. For example, a werewolf must eat lots of meats, from raw to medium rare at most to ensure a good steady growth. While Ra must eat a lot of food with carbs, due to the fact his mummy magic takes up a lot of energy and leaves him starved after spells." Casper mentally patted himself on the back for being right. "If you don't like something you can tell me and I'll quickly adjust your meal plan. If you have any questions about your meals I have them planned out a week in advance so we can change them if needed." She explained simply. "At this place, we're changing your education to be more personalized as you grow. A lesson might apply to a zombie, but not to a moss monster. So with your basic courses more personalized ones will be scheduled throughout your week so you can fully come to your potential." she explained. "Kibosh had expressed this concern last night when he noted it was just now you students were doing lessons based on what you are-" her eyes briefly flickered over to Dr. Burns, but she forced herself to look away and pretended that she hadn't even noticed him.

"Your new schedule will be given to you at Monday's dinner. This weekend we'll be updating the castle for our needs. Once you're done with your meal see Ms. Headly for your assigned task." Kibosh said simply. "Now then, dig in so we can start our busy day." Kibosh said simply. The students looked a bit unsure… Until Ra started to dive right into his high carb meal.

Casper was pleased to see that he actually had some normal options. Casper used the utensils provided to move the food he wanted from the platters onto his plate. Jugs of milk, orange juice, water and apple juice were being passed around for their picking, so Casper picked milk for his drink this morning.

There seemed to be no complaints about the food, unlike normal. From the corner of his eye, Casper saw the lunch monster peer in, wiggling her long thin tentacles as she watched, then proudly hopped away after her job well done.

"Did you make this all, mom?" Thatch questioned as he drank some blood out of a jar. It was only then Casper noticed each jar was labeled something different. Rabbit, deer, dog, cow and such. Thatch was drinking the rabbit blood.

"Oh goodness no. I just made the meal plans- oh and the shortcake. That's a family secret after all." She chuckled. "Everything else was made by your previous meal provider, the lunch monster you lot keep calling her. She has a name."

"You can understand her?"

"Well of course… Her accent is very thick and at first, it was hard, but her name translated into English is Ayia. She would like it if you all call her by her name from now on as well." She informed simply. She was drinking her blood out of a wine glass, one might think it was real wine if they didn't see that she was a vampire. "She was the Ayia Napa Sea Monster before she came to Scare School. She's an outstanding cook." Clementine said happily. "Now hurry up and eat dear. You'll be helping-"

"Mom are solar panels being put on the roof?"

"... Well, yes." Clementine sighed. "As much as I wish it not electricity is needed for a school like ours to function properly."

"But they'll look awful, this is dad's castle and I don't want it to change that much."

"Oh neither do I dear, but we must do what's right."

"What if I can find a different way to get electricity? Will you take the solar panels down then?"

"... I suppose." She noted, glancing off. "No reason to put them up if we have another source…" Clementine didn't want the panels either. She thought they looked appalling on her home. Oh, she knew they were good and all, but she generally distasted anything dealing with the sun for pretty clear reasons.

"Okay, great!" Thatch grinned widely and looked over to Casper, who mustered a smile in return. Thatch's enthusiasm was a bit much at times, but it was very cute. Casper knew that Thatch was most likely going to skip out on the chore gave, convince them too and drag them all down to the cellar so they can go to his father's lab. Well… that sounded better than cleaning anyways!

Their plans to talk over breakfast was foiled as well. With them sitting at the table right beside Clementine and Kibosh it made it impossible for them to discuss last night. They would just have to catch the others up later. So the group ate, and honestly, Casper was grateful to have some normal food. It had been forever since he just had buttered toast! Plus the strawberry shortcake was amazing.

Once the group finished eating their personalized meal they got up from their table and managed to avoid Ms. Heady due to Dummy Girl complaining about her assigned task which allowed them all to slip out pretty much unnoticed.

Thatch eagerly started to lead the group, and on the way, he filled in the missing details for Mantha and Slither. It was best to get everyone caught up. Plus Casper was happy to see Thatch and Mantha were so chatty with each other, she was just as interested in the power source as Thatch. Good, maybe that would save the ghost some trouble!

As they reached the cellar steps they all started to head down, though Slithered lingered at the top. The snake-like monster had a frown on his face, looking widely annoyed. Casper chuckled and paused on the steps, looking up at Slither calmly as the rest were already heading down the dark stairwell, using Ra's creepy blinking pendant as a source of light for now.

"Come on Slither, we can't fall behind." The ghost reasoned, then kicked off the floor and hovered in the air as he flew up back to Slither to see what was wrong.

"I bet there's a lot of stairs and I bet it's cold…" He gloomily said, his stripped arms crossed. Casper rolled his eyes and made a gesture down to the stairs, and Slither groaned but willingly obeyed the silent command. He didn't want to be left behind either after all. Slither rested a 'hand' on the wall and took his time. Casper once again had the pleasure of imagining how Slither tackled the steps under his robe, his snake half having to carefully move down, laying across each individual step before he got to the next one. It was a slow process, but losing balance would such. Imagine a rolling Slither tumbling down the stairs- that would hurt.

Casper kept Slither company as they headed down, the faint green glow of Ra's pendant just within their vision, and after a minute a brighter glow of a fire. Ah, that would work!

As Casper and Slither reached the bottom of the steps they saw Mantha going around with one of the torches, igniting all the torches that hung on the wall. Casper figured Mantha was smart and was carrying matches since this castle's only light source was fire. As Mantha went around lighting things Thatch was examining the back wall, trying to find the exact brick his dad used. Casper walked over, his shoulders slumped as he looked at the wall. Yeah, they all looked similar… Casper floated up, his eyes scanning the bricks silently. There was very little talking between them, but it just seemed to work. Every once in awhile Thatch would motion to a brick and Casper would look- but they would both shake their heads and keep looking.

The friendly ghost ended up finding it first, it was far above Thatch's head so the vampire would have never seen it. The single brick in the wall that had a huge 'X' crack in it. They wanted to follow what Vincent had done as closely as they could, so Slither and Ra were forced to hoist Thatch up on to their shoulders to get the living vampire higher up. Mantha stayed nearby, ready to catch Thatch in case he slipped.

Casper floated nearby, nervously watching as Thatch placed his hand on the brick. He tried pushing it, nothing. Pulling, nothing. Magic seemed to be the only way after all. So the vampire huffed, forcing his eyes to glow. It wasn't hard, it was something all vampires learned to do- often they did it at night when they were desperate to see, locked away in a coffin or underground in the sewers. It wasn't necessary unless there was completely no light.

Still, the wall did not open.

Thatch growled in annoyance, looking at Casper, but Ra was the one to pipe up. "Tap it! Make your eyes glow and tap it, your dad did that." Ra said happily, adjusting how he was holding onto Thatch's left leg. Ra was shorter than Slither and therefore had to actually try to lift Thatch up more to keep him balanced.

The living vampire nodded and made his eyes glow again as he tapped the brick.

Still, the wall did not open, but this time something did happen. A large unseen force seemed to pulse from the wall, fully knocking Thatch like he got rammed by a car. Casper tried to catch Thatch but missed. Mantha was right behind Thatch and got the full front of the vampire. As Thatch landed directly on Mantha the zombie popped into pieces, which then scattered around the cellar.

"Well... I'm out of ideas man." Ra said simply, dusting his hands off as he watched Mantha and Thatch.

"Help me you jerk!" Mantha's head yelled from where it rolled- under one of the shelves and into a bunch of dust. Oh, poor Mantha.

Casper landed and started to walk around, finding her missing pieces and gathering them into a pile along with Thatch and Slither. Thatch was looking pretty guilty about the whole thing, trying to figure out how to put her together and which fingers went onto which hand.

Once Mantha had her arms, torso, and head attached she was actually able to direct them on how to put her back together, which saved her much trouble because Slither put her feet on backward- which in its own weird way was almost cute. Slither just didn't get feet.

Once their Mantha 1.0 was fully assembled Casper helped clean the dust off of her, weakly smiling. "That was… exciting."

"Kinda? I mean my head did get to roll into a spot we won't normally see," the zombie sarcastically sassed.

"I'm sorry about that," Thatch mumbled softly as he rubbed the back of his neck. His eyes wandered back to the door. "I have no clue what happened."

"Well, I do," Mantha said simply. "The brick is clearly a lock of some sort. You entered the wrong 'password'. If Vincent was as forward-thinking as you say that means he was ahead of his time. He's probably combined magic with technology, the cracked brick is the control panel. The tapping is the password. We need to find out the correct tapping pattern to open the door."

"I don't remember what he tapped." Thatch sighed, then looked at Ra. "Can we look again?"

Ra took a look at his pendant, then shook his head. "Nah man, the beetle's pretty mad right now. Can't do it."

"The… the beetle is mad?" Casper raised a brow.

"Yeah, he's totally mad. Look at his little leg wiggle." He held out the pendant slightly so everyone could see. Indeed the little legs were wiggling around. Everyone but Ra was very creeped out, and they all elected to drop it and never ask about that creepy beetle again- or at least until they were sure they could keep their breakfasts down.

And so, the group sat around, trying to remember. Whenever Thatch thought he got it Slither would hoist him up, Thatch would tap on the brick, and swiftly get knocked backward, which Casper and Ra caught Thatch so the vampire wouldn't get injured.

Thatch getting thrown back was a big FUCK OFF feeling honestly, and that only made the vampire more and more determined each time.

Casper didn't know how long they were down there, but he knew it was long enough for them to get in trouble for skipping out on their chores. The ghost heavily sighed and glared at the wall. Dumb walls, if only they could bash it in-...

Casper frowned and stood up, walking over to the wall. He could feel all his friends eyes on him, curious if the ghost remembered the pattern. Of course, he didn't, he had been so tired and nervous last night he barely remembered the dang brick! But one thing that he did remember was- behind the wall was hollow. It was just a hidden staircase. Casper turned and looked at the group, then couldn't help but to give the biggest smile ever as he walked back through the wall, his clothes and shoes falling into a pile on the floor.

Once on the other side, it was so dark, he couldn't see anything. He couldn't even hear his friends on the other side of the wall- maybe it was because of the spell? He knew they were making sounds of something because when he placed his hands on the brick he could feel the faint vibrations of them hitting the other side of the wall.

The ghost faintly smiled, then with his eyes utterly useless he started to feel around. His hands traveled over the bricks, feeling their cold surfaces, his fingers exploring every crack. The wall with the door had nothing, so Casper started to explore the walls next to the door. It took some searching, but his hand bumped against something hard, cold and iron. He grabbed it, feeling it with care. A lever in the up position. So Casper pulled it down- well no. It was pretty stiff after years of use. The ghost rolled his useless eyes on the dark and rested his feet on the wall while grasping the lever with both hands. Casper pulled again, and bit by bit he felt the lever tug and move until suddenly it gave away and snapped to the down position, causing the ghost to drop back onto the stone steps, though it didn't hurt much, and nor did he go tumbling down them. He just floated back up and looked proud as the bricks started to roll back, opening the closed off passage.

On the other side, the group stood there in awe, just gawking at the ghost in confusion.

"I'm a ghost, I forgot." Casper laughed softly. "There was a lever here this whole time so he could get back out." He motioned simply, then went and picked up his clothes. He started to redress himself, his chest swelled with pride. He got the secret door open, yay.

"Casper…?"

"Yes, Thatch?"

"You're the best!" Thatch said quickly and hugged the half dressed ghost, holding him close. Casper smiled and returned the embrace. Sometimes being a ghost was rather nice… Predicaments like this became easier, and if he could make Thatch happy then that was a significant bonus.

Thatch hurriedly helped Casper get redressed, then held his hand as he walked over to the staircase, peering down the seemingly endless steps. Slither tried his best not to look like he was going to die as Mantha grabbed one of the torches and held it up, leading the way down the steps. Normally Thatch would go first, but he was looking a pit pale- perhaps the excitement was running off and he was feeling the reality of the situation.

Casper held onto Thatch's hand, carefully guiding the vampire down the stairs, keeping only a step or two behind Mantha. Ra had noticed Slither struggling and was a good few steps back to keep him company. Luckily Mantha wasn't moving fast. Nerves were probably getting to her, but they were to everyone. Casper could feel the chill up his nonexistent spine, his eyes dead ahead. They weren't allowed here, but here they were. No one had been here in years, but here they were. They were going to see a piece of history, completely lost.

Step after step the group descended, their eyes constantly flickering back up to the entrance and each other, wondering who would flake and leave, who was try to back out first. None of them did, and before long the entrance had left their sights. The temperature was dropping the lower they went, and that posed a problem for Slither. Casper tried to fix it by removing the black jacket he was wearing and placing it around the snake's shoulders, just to add another layer to his clothes.

Slither didn't say anything about the temperature, whether it was from pride or embarrassment Casper couldn't tell, and he wouldn't press it either. Slither was learning his boundaries, and surely if it was getting dangerous he would speak up.

Further down they climbed, the colder it got. Further down, and it got warmer. They could see a faint light, and they could see the end of the staircase. At the bottom was a direct turn to the right through a doorway, the light was coming from there. Their pace hasted and they made it down the last several dozen steps and rounded the corners. Right away they were greeted by what could be described as a large dressing room. There was cushioned benches, a mirror for some reason, probably a human habit Vincent never quite got rid of.

There were hooks on the walls, several having some black cloaks, the pattern exactly matching Thatch's, only uncut. But there was also white jackets hanging around, many of them stained with something. There was very little dust, probably because dust was a bunch of dead human skin, animal fur and so far. No people or access to the outdoors made this place very well preserved even after all this time, seeing as all the torches in this room was still lit and forever burning, only their flames were actually blue and no the common orange and red.

It gave a weird hue to the room, but it kept everything nice and warm which was nice for Slither. The small group started to explore the room, looking but not moving on yet. There was a large wooden door on the other side of the room none of them were ready to go through. It was best to take things in bit by bit lest they get overwhelmed, especially Thatch. Casper found himself gravitating to the vampire, making sure he was okay and handling everything well. Casper couldn't understand exactly what Thatch was feeling. Casper had always known where his own dad's lab was, how to get there and so forth. He even showed a human friend, Kat how to get into it. Thatch knew nothing about Vincent's lab.

The living vampire was hanging around, looking at his dad's old cloaks with clear fondness. He reached up, carefully removing it off the hook and caught it before it ever touched the ground. Casper watched, trying not to smile. It was so big compared to Thatch, no wonder his mom had to cut it. But, with all these cloaks meant that Thatch could get more cut to his size so he would never truly grow out of his cloak. He could always carry a piece of his father with him this way.

"Thatch," Mantha called out gently. Naturally, they all tensed. It was the first time they spoke since they started to head down the steps. Their own voices were putting them on edge now, go figure.

"What Mantha?" Thatch carefully spoke as he placed the cloak he was holding on one of the cushioned benches. When he looked over he saw she was standing by the wooden door. She was ready to move forward, and there was no point in trying to delay them. Thatch took a deep breath and walked over, the zombie and once bully vampire giving each other a brief, nervous smile before Thatch pushed open the door, wincing in fear as the iron hinges creaked ominously.

The room before them was breathtaking. Calling it a lab was an insult, not that there was anything wrong with labs though. this was just above and beyond what they were expecting. The room, if it could be called a 'room' was huge, the ceiling taller than the ballroom, and for good reasons. Large objects hanged off the ceiling, held by firm metal cables. Many of the objects were glowing and shaking, one was spinning like its life depended on it, spewing out steam like a train. Oddly enough it had floating rings around it, rotating every which way. It briefly made Casper recall the rings of Saturn, that's the only thing he could compare it to. Also hanging from the ceiling was a random assortment of lights. Some were brighter than others, one looked like a mini sun while others were harnessing the blue flame. But then Casper spotted it, a single electric bulb was randomly hanging in midst of all the much grander lights. Was Vincent experimenting with different forms of power and or light? Vincent had electricity down here.

The large room was filled with things. Broken machines, to large tarps covering stuff. There was a huge machine near the back of the room, taking several tarps to cover it all. There was a lot to take in and try to understand. It was all a bit overwhelming.

One wall was a built-in shelf spanning the floor to ceiling space with a simple rolling ladder to get to the higher shelves. It was completely filled with journals to hardback textbooks, all in perfect shape due to the lack of dust. There was also a sturdy wooden desk build into the bookshelf/wall with golden trim. There was plenty of gold in this house in fact... Probably because silver was frowned upon.

The desk was covered in papers similar to Vincent's normal lab up in the tower, only these plans were much more detailed, small notes written beside each detail which was carefully measured and planned out on the gridded sheets. Casper even saw one of the papers had the exact design as another in the tower, only one was more detailed. So Vincent came up with the idea in the tower and tweaked it down here to perfection. Perhaps the open air helped him think?

Random experiments and objects were scattered about, some weird robot thing was endlessly bumping against one of the stone walls, and after years of this the robot had made a dent in its exact shape and managed to dent itself. The rhythmic clanking of the robot running against the wall filled the room, and it was honestly very loud. Mantha walked over to the robot, watching it for a few moments before she spotted the lever on its back and pulled it. the switch seemed stuck at first, but after a second tug, it clicked to the down position, causing the machine to sputter and let out a high pitched whine as the machine shut down, finally falling silent and giving some peace to the lab besides the general buzzing coming from many of the machines. At least one thing in this lab wasn't making noise anymore.

"Thanks, Mantha, that thing was loud." Thatch said to break up the silence. It was getting too quiet for his liking, or anyone's liking. They weren't talking and that made things tenser. Mantha returned back to the group, who all seemed to be sticking close together in the large room, not daring to wander off. Who knew what was in this lab, and if they could get hurt or not.

Slowly the group seemed to naturally find themselves at Vincent's desk, looking at his designs and plans. Much to Casper's disappointment, they weren't in English. Thatch seemed to be reading it, mouthing the words and only getting caught up now and then.

"Thatch? I didn't know you can read Latin." Mantha commented.

"Mom made me learn it when I was little. Being a vampire gives you a lot of time, and mom loved to fill it with lessons." Thatch begrudgingly replied. "I can read Latin, Greek, and Egyptian."

"Aye, nice." Ra beamed, seeming pleased someone else could finally understand his mother language. Any connection to home went a great way, no matter how tiny it was. "So what are you reading anyway?"

"I don't know... this makes no sense. A bunch of gargled talk about ghosts... this looks like he was making something for Kibosh." Thatch made a motion to the sheet, holding it out more so they could all see. Casper hovered closer, peering at the paper. That couldn't be...

"My dad's machine..." Casper softly whispered. Casper couldn't mistake it, he knew his dad's work too well. Years of haunting that old house gave him tons of time to explore his dad's lab. He didn't get a lot of what was going on in there, but he knew what every machine looked like and the basics of what it did due to his dad's very detailed notes.

The machine in this plan looked different but similar. The machine his dad built had a ramp going up and this one showed stairs. Vincent and his endless love for stairs. But it also seemed Vincent's love for levers made it into Casper's father's work. Casper remembered the 'control panel' which was 5 levers in a row that needed to be pulled to the correct spots. The blueprints Thatch held also showed the spot for the ghost to go being a square room, while Casper's dad went for a circular capsule.

"This isn't your dad's machine," Thatch said defensively. Casper didn't blame him, of course, they would be confused.

"No no, I'm serious. My dad built this in his lab. It's supposed to turn ghosts humans, he became obsessed with the idea after I died... Watch uh, there's a special liquid that's supposed to go into that slot," Casper explained, briefly pointing at the blueprint. He then quickly started to search the table, lifting up papers with care as his eyes scanned around in confusion. He couldn't find it there. He looked up, swiftly starting to fly around the lab. His blue eyes jumped around, machine to machine, shelf to shelf- there!

On the top shelf was a bottle filled with red liquid. Casper dashed to it and picked it up, gently holding it in his hand. It was familiar but different again. Instead of tear dropped shape the bottle was a simple square with a spout. Casper flew back down and held it up for them to see. It perfectly matched the spot on the blueprints.

Thatch looked at the bottle, then back to the plans, a frown deep on his face. "This makes no sense... Ah look, there's a note here." He pulled the designs closer, squinting at his father's overly neat and miniature handwriting. "Failure- works 24 hours in latest model. The test concluded: impossible."

"But it did work! Kat's dad died and turned into a ghost and we managed to change him back."

"Who's Kat?" Mantha asked simply, her arms crossed over her chest.

"She's a human that moved into my house with her dad. They left there, of course. The house isn't safe for humans. My uncles scare any visitors or buyers off." Casper explained easily. "But the fact of the matter this machine worked, though the one my dad built was different."

"Maybe your dad modified it and improved on Thatch's dad's design?" Ra commented offhandedly. "Sometimes it demands a couple exceptional and talented minds to produce magnificent things." Ra surprisingly spoke with a lot of wisdom, catching Casper off guard. Huh, maybe the mummy was finally showing his years.

"I'm just trying to figure out why my dad would make this." Thatch sighed and placed the document back down on the counter. Casper set the square shaped bottle down with it, though he had to admit he was interested. The machine at his house could work if it made more of that fluid... Could he be human? Did he want to be human? With Kat, they had planned on changing him back, but being human meant he had to leave school, leave all his new friends. Perhaps it was best he just stayed a ghost.

"Guys?" Slither piped up. The group looked over, finally, Slither had moved away and was on the other side of the room. He was standing beside a doorway, which was left open. There were dozens and dozens of different types of cables coming out of the room, powering all the machines in here. "Where does this go?" The snake monster asked calmly.

Thatch and the gang walked over, and looked, seeing yet another set of stairs. This one turned sharply, a spiral staircase it seemed. Mantha held up her torch and started to head down, having to be careful where she placed her feet so she didn't step on a cord. Casper floated over and Slither... Well, Slither didn't care. His weight was distributed evenly across the cords so he was able to just slide over them without worry.

These stairs weren't too much trouble, they only led down to what could be considered a basement for the enormous room overhead. Only thing was, this basement looked… natural? It was a clear space with torches screwed into the stone walls. It looked like an open chasm, and they could hear the sound of water. Mantha began to move around, her hand trembling as she starting to light the torches with her's, only when she lit these torches their flames burned blue, and were much brighter than her own torch. The first torch she lit covered a lot of space. It was strange, machinery was all set up in the cavern, but from what Casper could tell they were all just regulators to control the flow of power. Course everything was placed a good few feet away from the underground water that seemed to be pouring out of a crack in the rock wall. It pooled on the ground, making a small pond in the large room, then diverted away through another opening on the floor. Well, at least that explained the water sound.

All the cords appeared to lead down one of the tunnels, so what else could they do but follow. But as they started to go down Casper did note there was… small bones on the ground. Rat bones, bats even, a few rabbit and... Cat bones.

Casper was pleased he could just hover over it, but the others were forced to actually step on and over them. Every time one of them unintentionally walked on a bone and snapped it they would wince, and Ra took it a step farther by sputtering 'sorry' every time he did it. Whether it was for making a sound or saying sorry to the dead animals Casper really didn't understand.

The tunnel opened up to an extensive underground… Well, Casper could only describe it as an underground forest! When they wandered into the large opening they were up on a cliff edge, looking down at the forest. The water in the previous room flowed out the wall here too, creating a mini waterfall and making a much larger pond which then leads into a stream which then twisted amidst the trees. But, this had to be impossible. There was light, but it wasn't coming from overhead, instead beneath them. Something was generating enough light to fill the entire chamber and sustain a forest.

"Whoa, that's… whoa." Mantha softly spoke, standing near the edge of the cliffside, gazing out with wide eyes. Thatch seemed to shock for words, and that worried Casper. Thatch, speechless?

The ghost rested a hand on the vampire's shoulder, trying to bring him some comfort. "This is pretty cool, right Thatch?"

"I found a way down," Slither dully said. They turned back around and saw more stairs carved into the walls. Vincent and his love affair with stairs were starting to get on Casper's nerves, and the ghost wasn't even using them! Casper weakly offered a smile and watched as Slither just sighed and started on his slow descent, stair by stair, back and forth on the step to slowly lower himself to the next so he never lost balance.

"Thatch, dude… Your dad is being a total jerk to Slither," Ra joked with a big grin, even if he was also mildly annoyed with the stairs.

"Hey, my dad never knew a snake monster will be entering his top-secret lab!" Thatch defended, then looking at the stairs going down. Nope. The vampire went to the edge of the cliff and jumped off and swiftly turned into a bat. Ah, right. Vampires.

Casper grinned, giving a small wave to Mantha and Ra as he too leaped off the cliff, laughing as he fell. He only started to fly once he got near the water's surface, playfully flying fast which caused Thatch to give chase in a playful manner. It felt nice to have some space to fly after being in those tight staircases.

Thatch and Casper flew around above the water's surface, the ghost's laughter filling the air. It felt nice to relax and breath. It almost felt like they were outside again. Ah outside, Casper was craving the sight of the sky again, to feel the gentle breeze outside these dumb stone walls, trapped so far underground. He didn't even know how far down they were. There were so many steps and they were so terribly deep, he hoped to get this done quickly but at the same time, he felt an urge to stay. Vincent's research somehow got to his dad, how? How was his and Thatch's father connected?

"Casper! Thatch!" Ra shouted from the shoreline, having finally reached the bottom of the fuck ton of stairs. Ra crossed his arms, huffing furiously. Mantha was already peering into the forest, keen to explore while Slither… Slither was laying face first on the ground, unmoving as he just weakly moaned. "I think Slither hates this little field trip of ours."

"We got so much more to do!" Casper countered and landed beside Ra. "come on Slither, up! We gotta keep going!" Slither just let out a louder groan for about 5 seconds before he shushed. Thatch flew by, nearly touching Casper's head as he swooped down so low. The vampire then changed back, landing right beside Slither with his hands sassily placed on his hips.

"Excuse me, what's this? We can't take a break now, we got to follow where these cords go!" Thatch huffed, grabbing Slither by his robes and trying to drag the snake monster, who elected to stay limp as a gummy worm.

Mantha rolled her eyes, looking back at the group of boys. "Come on, the cords lead this way," she said. Oh, right, they were following the cords. Casper almost forgot that. The ghost looked back to the cliffside, seeing the cords lead down the stairs. Once they hit level ground plants and roots were trying to grow over them, but somewhat he could see they were still uncovered, and it looked like the vegetation was kept back. He didn't know what though, it looked like things were just cut for getting too close.

Casper floated above the cords, gradually following them. As he passed Mantha they both gave each other anxious smiles before Casper began to lead the way. Slither eventually seemed to decide he should move his scaley butt on his own because Thatch was back at Casper's side and Slither was now easily keeping up with the group now that there were no more stairs for him to fight with. The battle was over for Slither, for now. The war would be climbing back up them.

The group gradually made its way into the forest, following the twist and turns of the cords, which oddly enough were not obscured by grass or roots no matter how far in they got. Made no sense, the cords were just cords and there was nothing magical about them.

The forest got thicker so they had to watch their step, and much to Casper's surprise Slither seemed perfectly fine in this environment. He went over roots and the cords, easily ducking under branches, and sometimes helping the others by holding up a low hanging branch for them. Huh, guess snake monsters like Slither truly were meant for the forest, though every once in awhile his robes might snag on a branch. Slither also seemed slightly on edge, his gray eyes darting around the forest. Could Slither hear something they could not, or was he just nervous?

There wasn't much time to ask that question because the trees gave away into a large clearing, no life or grass. The clearing was a perfect circle, and at the center was a large piece of machinery, all the cords hooked into it. But that was just the receiver to absorb the endless power. Right above the compact machine was a large floating orb. It hovered in place, its blue light nearly blinding to look at. It was on fire but at the same time, it looked like water. The cords stopped here, this was the end of the line. All the power that went into Vincent's lab and into the protective charm around the whole castle came from here.

"What is that?" Mantha mumbled, holding up her hand to shield her eyes from the bright light. Slither seemed highly annoyed by the light, staying back at the treeline as he stared at the ground, not even facing the orb's way. It was so terribly bright, Casper was seeing spots after looking at it.

No one could truly answer Mantha's question. The only thing they could call it was the power source. Thatch grabbed his cloak, lifting it up to shield his eyes as he determinedly marched forwards towards the orb. Casper whined and quickly followed, gently placing a hand on the vampire's shoulder, keeping close in case anything was to happen.

But before anything was done they heard screaming from… Ra. Casper and Thatch turned around, spotting the mummy being knocked flat onto his back while Mantha defensively moved in front of him, arms up in some sort of defense against the monster before them.

It was large and black with a white mane. At first, it looked like a weirdly colored lion, until Casper spotted the massive feathered wings which were speckled with black spots, then the long scales tail that reminded him of a lizard. Its eyes were slit and narrowed like a snake as it hissed at Mantha, but then its attention turned to Slither who had moved swiftly, getting in front of Mantha protectively.

The creature let out a roar and lunged forward, knocking Slither to the ground, which in turn made Mantha stumble back and lose her head, uselessly rolling across the ground. At least her head ended up beside Ra, but the mummy seemed to be left in a state of shock as he watched the strange creature before them all open its jaws, revealing its mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. Slither held up his arms in defense, but he could do little to stop the teeth that sank deep into his shoulder.

The monster, the true monster raised Slither off the terrain then and started to shake him, teeth embedded deep in his flesh. Slither howled out and fought, trying to wrap his extendable arms around its throat to choke it, but with all the shaking he could barely get ahold of the creature at all.

"Slither!" Thatch shrieked and took off running towards them… the creature bit down and there was a loud snap as Slither's bones broke in between the powerful jaws. The furred beast shifted its grip and instead carried Slither by his neck, biting down just the same. Slither's body dangled lifelessly in the jaws, his eyes forever opened in confusion and agony, blood falling from his throat and shoulders which painted his ordinarily clean purple garments.

Then, he was abandoned to the ground, his body a lifeless lump. Ra finally came to his senses and grabbed Mantha's head, holding it close as he started to clamber away, trying to head for the trees. The unnamed monster growled and ran, easily jumping off the trees themselves and cutting Ra off before he even made it to the treeline. The mummy tenses, his back rigid like an ironing board. His necklace was still blinking green, and Ra didn't show any signs of him about to use a spell. Perhaps he couldn't as long as it was blinking Ra couldn't use magic.

Casper tore his eyes away from the beast and to Thatch, who had dropped by Slither's corpse, holding it close to his chest as weak sobs escaped him. Oh no... Slither.

Casper looked back at the creature as it growled, slowly moving forward towards Ra. It was low to the ground, stalking, hunting with its eyes on the mummy and zombie head. It snarled and bared its fangs threateningly, and when it saw Ra showed no signs of fighting back it roar and moved to lunge, only to be knocked aside by a gust of wind…?

Casper's eyes shot back to Thatch, who was back on his feet, hands raised. His chest throbbed with emotions, acid tears drenching his face, but even so, he was glaring so hatefully at the creature as he stood before Slither's body, shielding it. His hands tremble, but the living vampire looked so determined.

The creature roared in outrage and plunged back into the treeline, simply skirting around the obviously well-memorized area. They were in the center of its hunting ground- it must be here to preserve the power source. It was beginning to make sense to Casper. It guarded and maintained the power source and the cords, why else would the vegetation be cut back? This also explained all the bones in the cave. They were going to end up in that pile of bones… Oh wait, he wasn't. Casper was the only one safe.

The monster was circling the clearing, watching Thatch now. Thatch kept moving, always staying between it and Slither's body. Casper couldn't just stand there, Mantha needed his help. So, the friendly ghost anxiously started to move, just to see the slitted eyes of the animal go to him. In that instant Thatch growled and shot out a blast of air, uprooting a tree and knocking it back completely. Thatch's power took the friendly trio completely off guard. Ripping papers off the school walls was one thing, but knocking over a tree? Casper could only say it was because Thatch was in such emotional distress his powers were going haywire. He hoped Thatch could just keep control of them.

The monster snarled and swiftly hurried away from the toppled tree, out of dangers way. Thatch's distraction gave Casper adequate time to get to Mantha's body and drag it over to Ra. The pair immediately put her head back on and helped her stand up, then they all held together. Now they had to get to Thatch. Casper would shout at the vampire to fly elsewhere, but this monstrosity also had wings. Surely it would catch up to Thatch if he was a bat. They needed to run, but Casper also didn't want to leave Slither's body behind. Slither was their friend!

"Thatch," Ra called out warily. "We need to go man."

"I'm not leaving Slither!" He snapped harshly, his voice cracking. Casper's gaze softened. Of course, he understood Thatch's position, but… Choices had to be made. Casper helplessly looked at Thatch, his shoulders slouched in sorrow. Slither was their friend, he tried to protect them even after they made him suffer through all those stairs and all the difficult tasks they put him through, like being a spy when they had to find out Dummy Girl's plan. Casper wanted to tell Thatch it was okay, that they could go get help and return for Slither's remains, but then he saw it. The beast was creeping out of the trees, ready to lunge.

"Thatch, no!" Casper screamed. The living vampire turned back around to look at the beast just as it lunged. Thatch was knocked onto the ground, skidding a few feet away. As he tumbled across the ground he brought up a cloud of dust and dirt, making it hard for them to see. The vampire wheezed in pain after just having all the air knocked out of him. As he started to rise the monster was suddenly before the vampire and swiped him with the back of its large paw, sending the vampire flying again and crashing against the machine just below the power source. This only seemed to agitate the monster further, even if it was the monster who caused that!

Thatch gasped for air, rolling over onto his stomach to try to push himself, but his body shook with the effort and the vampire collapsed back to the ground. Casper could only watch in terror as the beast placed a massive paw on Thatch's back, pinning him to the ground easily and holding him there. "We have to do something," Casper mumbled, feeling his heart sink deeper into his chest. Before he could fly over Mantha grabbed Casper's hand, holding him back. Casper growled and looked back at Mantha, his eyes narrowed. How dare she try to stop him, Thatch was in trouble!

"Casper no! You'll get hurt, and look… It's not killing him." She said, keeping a strong hold of Ra and Casper. The ghost turned back around and stared. Thatch was still under its paw, pinned down to the dirt. The monster was curiously watching Thatch, sniffling his cloak and studying it. "Casper… this is Vincent's power source, right? Which means the monster should have obeyed Vincent…" She carefully explained, trying not to make any sudden moves lest she drew the attention of the beast. "Thatch-" Her words paused as the creature… purred. The monster with the still bloodied mouth was purring, grabbing Thatch by his cloak and lifting him up. Thatch quickly reached up and unclasped the cloak, falling back down to the ground. Yes, he hated to leave his cloak behind, but he saw what it did to Slither and he didn't want to be shaken around like a rag doll. The vampire was desperate to escape alive with the others.

The beast looked confused, dropping the cloak with little interest and moved forward, this time picking Thatch up by the back of his shirt, but not hurting the vampire now. Instead, it laid down and set Thatch between its large paws, close and safe, like a happy momma lion.

"Now that's terrifying," Ra said simply as he watched. "Thatch, are you okay?" He nervously asked. Thatch wasn't looking too happy, his eyes darting over to the group, then back up to the monster. Casper wishes he could be over there because suddenly the vampire's attitude changed. He shifted, sitting up more as he looked at the beast.

"Oh, my stars… Munchkin?" He carefully spoke. The murderous beast tilted its head and Casper saw its tail wiggle… happily? "Munchkin you… I thought you died in the fire, you're so big!" He gasped. 'Munchkin' idly watched Thatch, licking its lips to clean itself of Slither's blood. Thatch seemed to be in shock, unsure how to handle this.

Casper carefully took a step forward and Munchkin snarled loudly, turning its head to the ghost. "Wait, no Munchkin!" Thatch quickly corrected. Munchkin looked back to Thatch, it's ears pressed back as it watched the upset vampire. "They're my friends, don't hurt them." He said firmly. The beast watched Thatch, then let out an irritated huff as it laid its head down on the dirt, its slitted eyes watching the intruders distrustingly, but at least it showed no signs of attacking.

"Thatch," Casper carefully started. "What is that thing?"

"This… this is Munchkin. I helped my dad hatch her. She used to be so small… she was only this big," He held his hand up from the ground, showing about the size of a beagle at most. "She was one of dad's experiments…" Thatch nervously explained. He carefully got up, despite the irritating noise Munchkin made. Casper didn't care move closer, so Thatch went to the ghost and pulled Casper into his protective arms.

They weren't in danger, Casper could see that. The beast Munchkin was still resting beside the terribly bright orb that hurt his eyes. Casper hid his face in the vampire's shirt, just holding onto Thatch with all his strength. Slither was gone…

"We gotta get out of here," Mantha decided firmly. Her eyes drifted back to Slither. "We… We need to get him back."

"Oh!" Ra looked surprised as his pendant stopped glowing. If only it had done that a few minutes earlier maybe!... Casper tried to control his thoughts. He shouldn't think that way. Casper took a deep breath and watched as the mummy carefully raised his hand. A green aura sounded Ra's hand, then shot out and surrounded Slither. Ra raised his hand more and Slither's body raised off the ground. "Let's get him- oh no." Ra's distress was brought as Munchkin stood up, snarling as Slither moved.

"No Munchkin, no! Down!" Thatch quickly ordered, stepping between the beast and Slither. Munchkin looked at Thatch, her ears pressed back but her slitted eyes wider, almost to normal circles as if she was trying to take in as much information as she could. The beast was clearly confused. Thatch stood his ground, keeping Casper close to his side while he kept his hand up in the 'stop' motion. There was a brief standoff, then Munchkin made a sound which resembled a whine as she started to circle the power source defensively, her eyes constantly darting between the intruders.

"Dumb beast," Ra coldly muttered.

"She's not a dumb beast, look at her… she's doing her job." Mantha defended. "We entered her territory, we got too close to the power source. We're not even supposed to be here."

"So what are you saying, this is our fault?" Ra snapped. "Look at Slither, huh? Was this his fault? Did he deserve this?"

"That's enough," Casper tried to calm the two, but this was way over their heads. They were just kids… "It's no one's fault." He weakly spoke as he went over to Thatch's discarded cloak. He picked it up and carried it back to Thatch, who swiftly put it back on.

"Casper's right. This was… this was a terrible accident." The living vampire weakly uttered, but in his eyes had had a hardened look Casper couldn't explain. Ra immediately backed down when Thatch spoke. It was the vampire who knew Slither best. "No one is to blame… All we can do is get Slither back. Come on," He instructed, holding Casper's hand tightly. The ghost weakly smiled and followed Thatch's lead as the vampire made to lead them back to the stairs, but Munchkin didn't seem pleased with that.

Munchkin raced over to the small group of children and cut them off, defensively standing between them and the treeline.

"Munchkin, out of the way. We're leaving." Thatch ordered. The beast whined and lowered itself to the ground, then lowered its wings as it turned, showing more of its back, offering for them to hop on. Thatch seemed upset, but Mantha was quicker to pick up on what was going on.

"She's offering us a ride," Mantha explained. Ra didn't budge, watching as Mantha moved forward and climbed onto the back of Munchkin, who grunted softly but held still. Ra didn't seem as trusting, which was understandable.

Thatch seemed pretty trusting in Munchkin though, even after all that had happened. "Ra it's fine unless you want to climb up all those stairs." He rolled his eyes. Ra frowned, but climbed on behind Mantha, tightly holding onto her with one hand while the other kept the spell going as he guided the body closer, letting Slither's lifeless form rest across his lap and chest, keeping him close and safe.

"Let's go," Thatch sighed and turned into a bat after kissing Casper's cheek. Casper watched Thatch start to fly, going over the trees. Casper leaped off the ground to follow, though he squeaked when Munchkin roared and lunged into the air, expanding her huge wings as she took flight, easily advancing past both Casper and Thatch. She effortlessly flew up to the cliffside and landed as if it was the easiest thing in the world. Being confined for several dozen years gave one a lot of time to practice.

Thatch and Casper hurried to catch up, both arriving at the same time. Munchkin softly huffed, blowing air at Thatch before she turned and started to head down the tunnel, Mantha, and Ra still on her back, Slither protectively held in Ra's arms. The mummy wasn't going to let any wrong befall Slither's body now.

As Munchkin headed down the gloomy tunnel the stripes across her body started to glow in the dark, illuminating the way. Thatch changed back into his humanoid form and started to follow after he seized Casper's hand, determined to keep the ghost close and protected.

Munchkin silently leads the way, time to time looking back at Thatch to assure the vampire was still there. Everytime Thatch was and that comforted the weird animal. Munchkin even carried Ra, Mantha, and Slither up the stairs and into Vincent's lab, though Munchkin seemed much more cautious in this place. She probably didn't leave the forest much, or at all.

Munchkin let Thatch in front of her so he could lead the way, but the vampire was slowing down, his eyes drifting over to his father's desk. Something was on his mind, Casper could just tell. So, he decided to ask and see what was up.

"Thatch," He started off gently. "I see those gears turning. What's going on?"

"My dad's machine… He labeled it a failure but… He said it did bring the dead back to life."

"It did?"

"Yeah, in the footnote." He released Casper's hand and walked over to the desk, picking up the square bottle full of red liquid, then looked to the design. "See here?" He asked, motioning to the bottom where Vincent's small but neat handwriting was, and there was a lot of it. "It says here it doesn't work without a body, but it doesn't necessarily have to work on a ghost. He used rats and other animals for his test and they all came back to life… Don't you think…" his voice trailed off his gaze went back to Slither.

Mantha seemed to be taking Thatch's words very seriously. "Where's the machine?" she almost demanded as she slid off Munchkin's back.

Casper's eyes darted around and fell on the large covered machine in the back, the one towering tall and covered by many tarps. Casper took off flying, zooming over to the machine and ripping the tarps off, letting them fall to the floor to reveal Vincent's machine. It perfectly matched the blueprints. The ghost then went back to Thatch, taking the red liquid and placing it into the correct slot.

"Okay, how do we work it?" Ra asked.

"I'll do it of course," Casper said confidently. "I worked my dad's machine. The control panels look exactly the same. "But what we need to worry about is how do we bring Slither back when he's… he's hurt." Casper didn't want to point out the obvious, but Slither was bleeding and broken.

"We don't need to worry, dad's notes say the bodies are healed in the process, no matter how badly he damaged them."

"Perfect!" Mantha gasped. "Ra, get Slither in there. Thatch, we need to make sure this thing has enough power."

The group of children started to work, Casper and Ra carefully putting Slither's body into the machine and sealing the door tightly. Casper then hovered around the control panel nervously while Ra kept close to the sealed door, peering through the small glass window. Casper could see Ra was unsure, doubtful. Honestly, Casper was too. This machine was similar but different than his father's.

Mantha and Thatch were behind the machine, checking it all out, checking out the cords. For them, it was an easy fix. This machine was unplugged, so they unplugged one of the other machines. The machine they unplugged made a loud beeping sound until it ran out of what little power it had coursing through it. Then the machine shut down, no more noise or buzzing from it.

Mantha plugged the cord into their preferred machine, and it quickly came to life. Casper felt it rumble as the power surged through it, the loud buzzing sound of electricity filled the room, the lights above all flickering as the machine soaked it up. Now that was familiar.

Munchkin hissed in fear, lowering herself and backing away from the machine and back towards the staircase to the forest. Casper paid her no mind, they needed to bring Slither back! So Casper turned his back to the beast and instead to Thatch who stood beside Mantha, looking at the machine determinedly. Thatch seemed to fully trust in his father's work. Casper just hoped this worked.

The ghost started to pull the familiar yet strange levers, watching the liquid drain out of the square bottle and into the machine. The lights started to tremble and flicker on and off constantly, a few of the machines in the room sparking and trembling as they shut down- broken by this machine sucking the power right out of them. This machine seemed to need a lot more electricity than the one Casper was used to.

But, as Casper pulled the last lever he felt a flicker of hope, his eyes moving over to Ra who had his hands on the door, standing up on his toes to peer through the mirror.

"I can't see, it's full of red smoke!" He complained, worry straining his voice. "Casper I can't see…" He lowered himself, looking over at the ghost. The machine shook and trembled, but it was growing softer until it stood still, only the buzzing from the machine continued. The lights were all shining brightly again even if some of the machines scattered about the room were still off or working oddly, not as smooth as before.

"Open it," Thatch suddenly ordered. Ra looked at the vampire, who seemed more annoyed that Ra didn't obey his order immediately. "Are you deaf? I said open it! Let's see Slither." He demanded.

"Thatch… What if it didn't…" Ra carefully spoke, nervously wringing his hands together. Ra turned away from the door, looking off the catwalk of the machine so he could look Thatch directly in the eye. "Thatch- SAVE ME" He yelped, nearly jumping out of his bandages as there was a loud banging on the door.

Casper hurried over, squeezing past the mummy who was currently clenching his poor, poor heart. The friendly ghost unlocked the door and pulled it open, letting the red smoke pool out of the machine. As Casper looked in he saw Slither on the floor of the machine where they left him, but he was sitting up. His robes were still stained with his blood, but he was healed and sitting up. Their gazes met, and Slither very dully spoke.

"I miss my egg."

"Slither!" Casper happily yelled and reached down, wrapping his arms around the gloomy monster in the biggest hug he could muster. "Guys he's alive, Slither's alive!" Casper called back. The hug quickly turned into a dog pile as everyone joined in, hugging Slither and celebrating. Thatch was trying not to cry tears of joy, lest the acid accidentally hurt someone. Mantha was straight up crying and hugged Slither, calling him a fool for protecting her. Ra was hooting and hollering to celebrate, his voice echoing off the stone walls.

"We did it we did it!" He yelled, releasing Slither from his arms as he hopped up and down. "We did it, YEAH! Take that!" He yelled at no one in particular.

"I miss my egg," Slither muttered again, covering his face with his arms. He hated being the center of attention, let alone in the center of the hug. "What even happened?" Slither cautiously spoke.

"We'll fill you in later," Casper grinned widely. "All that matters is we're all back together, safe and alive."

"... you're dead. So are Ra and Mantha." Slither said dully as he looked between the clearly undead monsters.

"Slither… Just be happy." Thatch laughed. "Come on, let's get back upstairs. We got to tell mom!"

"Oh right, we're in so much trouble!" Mantha gasped. She hurriedly got up and helped Slither climb out of the machine and down the stairs with Ra. "Munchkin, come here girl!" Mantha called. Munchkin slowly left the doorway and walked over, lowering herself. Mantha helped Slither climb onto Munchkin's back, after assuring the snake monster it was safe.

Thatch grinned a bit, walking out onto the machine's catwalk, looking over the lab with a fond look. Casper stood beside the vampire, weakly smiling.

"We made a mess of this place," Thatch noted.

"Nothing you can't fix."

"Nothing we can't fix." Thatch corrected. "You'll help me, right?"

"Why not?" Casper grinned and took Thatch's hand. "We should go."

"One more minute," the vampire requested. He made a motion and the ghost obliged, leaning against Thatch's side. Thatch fondly wrapped his arm around Casper, sighing contently as he overlooked the lab. "Casper?"

"What?" The ghost hummed in response, trying not to laugh as Mantha struggled to climb onto Munchkin.

"I love you."

"And I love you." The ghost grinned, peering up at Thatch. Their eyes met and Casper felt his heart melt. Oh, this was the start of something beautiful.

A/N:

Crystal Draculura Bloodsucker: Our longest chapter yet. Took us three days to write it. As the final chapter, we wanted to make this chapter as extravagant and epic as we could. Hopefully, we did just that.

KrymynalKrimzon: This was certainly a long chapter and an exciting end to the story. It was fun making up headcanons for the characters, even a murderous beast (who turned out to be a big softy named Munchkin). Writing something this long was straining, but with the help of Cry's encouragement and some awesome background music, we managed to finish it on time! I find it rather funny we're ending this story on Friday the 13th. Honestly, it feels odd to be writing fan-fiction after so long, but I relished it. It's a piece of my past I've almost forgotten about. We plan on writing a sequel, so be on the lookout for that. I don't even plan on writing a chapter this long, seeing as this was over 12,000 words. I'm sure if it was possible my fingers would have blisters. Until next time this has been KrymynalKrimzon, also known as Zena. Goodbye!

-Zena


End file.
